


Strong Bonds

by 03SilverBlaze



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: F/M, LeviHan Week
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-07
Updated: 2019-04-07
Packaged: 2020-01-06 12:52:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 37,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18388796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/03SilverBlaze/pseuds/03SilverBlaze
Summary: I created this fanfic to go deeper into Levi and Hanji's friendship from the early years. During my first Fanfiction Calm Before the Storm, I had established a Prologue that told the story of how Levi and Hanji first became friends. This fanfiction was written to take place immediately after that Prologue. If you want to go back and take a look at that Prologue, I would recommend you do to get a better feel for this Fanfiction's beginning since I do reference it a few times. If not, quick summary: I had written that Levi and Hanji initially bonded over a scouting session to observe the behaviors of Abnormal Titans. After surviving a Titan attack and learning to depend on each other to survive, Hanji and Levi eventually learned to trust each other and ultimately bonded as friends.Moving forward, this story focuses on some short stories centered around the friendship of Levi and Hanji before the fall of Wall Maria. I've hinted at some romance (mostly on Levi's end), but it's mostly about their bond as comrades and friends, which I find very cute in the Manga and Anime.





	1. Sleepless Nights

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Calm Before the Storm](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16229195) by [03SilverBlaze](https://archiveofourown.org/users/03SilverBlaze/pseuds/03SilverBlaze). 



It was late evening inside Survey Corps Headquarters. All was quiet with majority of the soldiers sleeping. Hanji, however, was having trouble doing just that. She tossed and turned on her bed in vain, frustrated that nothing seemed to be helping. She lied on her back waiting for sleep to take over. But for reasons she couldn't explain, Hanji found herself missing out on a good night's rest. Hanji groaned. Her mind was always racing with ideas and theories that she found it hard to quiet it down. 

She stood up from her bed and sighed. She walked over to her bookshelf and started perusing the titles on the spines, eventually pulling out an old volume of children's stories that were supposed to help put little kids to sleep. "It's either this, or I learn from Levi the types of tea I can brew to put me to sleep." As she held the book in her hands, an idea came to her. She shouted, "Levi!" before throwing on her robe and dashing out of the room. 

She knocked lightly on the small, brooding soldier's door. There was a possibility that he was awake. Hanji knew that Levi only needed a few hours of sleep and because of that, he probably went to bed later than everyone else. She knocked again and waited for a sign that he was up. She didn't hear Levi give permission to enter so she figured that he was probably asleep. With a sigh, she turned around to leave when the door creaked open. Levi's face peered through the opening. He had dark circles under his eyes as if he hadn't been getting enough sleep. His hair was a disheveled mess going in different directions. 

Hanji turned around and beamed, "Lev-"

"What the hell do you want at this hour?" Levi asked, his voice dark and gruffer than usual.

"I was...having trouble getting to sleep," Hanji answered, feeling guilty for possibly waking him. "I was hoping you couldn't either so maybe we-"

"Go away," Levi growled, rubbing his eyes with one hand while the other began closing the door slowly. 

Hanji's face fell. She turned around in defeat and began walking away. Levi watched her leave, feeling a twinge of pity for seeing the poor woman dragging her feet. There were a few times that Levi turned to Hanji when he couldn't sleep and she always accommodated him without question. She had a way of relaxing him, as much as he hated to admit. Levi's gaze fell on the book in Hanji's hand.

"Oi," he called out to her. She turned to look over her shoulder at him. Levi motioned towards the book in her hand. "What's that you have there?"

Hanji turned, hopeful. "It's a collection of stories used to help children fall asleep!" She exclaimed to him. "I was hoping to share them with you...maybe it would help us both sleep?" She gave him pleading eyes. Levi felt a tug in his heart, having forgotten how cute she could be.  _ Dammit, _ he thought.  _ She does this shit on purpose, I know she does! _

"Get your ass in here, Four Eyes," he ordered, and opened the door for her. She grinned wide and approached him as Levi held the door open. He gave her a playful smack on the shoulder as she passed him, eliciting a joyful laugh from her. Hanji ran and made a beeline for Levi's bed. She sat down at the foot of it and crossed her legs comfortably.  

Levi stared at her, amazed at how nonchalant she was with invading his space. "Make yourself at home," he muttered as he closed the door behind him quietly. He walked over to his desk to sit on his chair when he noticed Hanji patting the spot on his bed next to her. He gave her a skeptic look. 

"It has pictures," Hanji enticed, waving the book at him. She held it open to a page that had a large green dragon on it. A huge flame erupted from its mouth onto a small man wearing shiny armor. Levi rolled his eyes and sat down next to Hanji, arms folded impatiently. He looked at the open book on her lap. 

"Well," he ordered. "Start reading already!"

Hanji jolted and began flipping to the first story. "Here's one," she announced, placing her finger on the first page. "It's called Rumplestiltskin."

"The fuck kind of name is Rumpleshit skin?" Levi snorted, beginning to regret his decision on letting Hanji drag him through this ordeal. 

"Let's find out," Hanji cheered, beginning to read the story aloud. 

* * *

 

"Well that was stupid," Levi muttered, leaning on the wall beside his bed. However, he had scooted closer to Hanji to get a better view of the illustrations in the book. She gave him a mischievous smile and batted her eyelashes. "I like it," she badgered, bumping her head against his. "The grumpy short man kinda reminds me of you."

Levi huffed and pushed her head off of him, growling. "Geez you drive me nuts!" He crossed his arms and looked away. "Choose a different story already!"

It had been almost a year since Levi first joined the Survey Corps. And during that time, he had developed a close bond with Hanji. Ever since their first expedition together to observe the different behaviors of Abnormal Titans, Levi had learned not only to rely on Hanji's wit and intelligence, but her battle skill was also very impressive. Her calculative moves made her a formidable asset to the Survey Corps' cause. Hanji on the other hand, had grown to admire Levi not only for his abilities, but his hidden kindness. The two of them knew of each other's quirks, yet found that they could be completely comfortable being themselves around one another.  

Even when the two were not beyond the walls, they often found themselves spending time together. Levi didn't like to admit it to Hanji, or to himself aloud, but he actually preferred her company over anyone else's. Despite her making him go through the most random of activities, Levi found that he enjoyed himself and was drawn by her personality more and more. 

"How about...Beauty and the Beast?" Hanji mused, turning the next page.

"Doesn't matter to me Four Eyes," Levi returned, giving the book a sideways glance. 

Hanji began to read the story out loud, spinning a mental picture to Levi about a selfish prince who lived in an enormous castle. Levi listened as he learned that the prince and his staff were punished by a beautiful sorceress in disguise and were turned into objects. The prince, however, was turned into a horrible beast. Belle, a beautiful girl who was into books and didn't fit in with the rest of her village, sought an adventure of her own and eventually crossed paths with this beast. 

Levi followed along with Hanji, looking at the book and the accompanying pictures. He noticed the illustration of Belle with her brown hair and eyes, holding out a book while reading it with an expression of wonder and joy on her face. Levi looked up at Hanji and couldn't help but notice the resemblance as she read the story with the same enthusiasm. He gave her a soft smile and continued to listen to her words, before closing his eyes and leaning back comfortably. 

He listened as Hanji continued to spin the story of how Belle was prisoner to the beast in her father's place. However, the beast was eventually able to win her trust and she was able to tame his heart. Levi entertained the idea of those two characters being similar to himself and Hanji. He saw himself as the unapproachable, grouchy beast and Belle as Hanji, the bookwork of a woman filled with kindness who found a way past his wall to befriend him. Levi briefly had a thought cross his mind about the two of them in love and immediately blushed in embarrassment, shaking his head of the idea.  _ Nope nope, absolutely not! _

"Did you like that one, Levi?" Hanji asked. Levi startled at her voice, opening his eyes to look at her. 

"That one made me relax," Levi admitted. "Maybe these shitty stories work after all."

Hanji held the book out to him eagerly. "Do you want to pick the next one?" she asked. 

"Not really," Levi denied, keeping his arms crossed. Hanji's face contorted in rejection. Levi felt a twitch in his eye upon observing her expression. "Tch," Levi hissed and snatched the book away. He opened it and began flipping through the pages quickly. There was an image that caught his eye and he paused. The page had a picture of an enormous, thick vine that extended from the ground all the way to the clouds. Atop the clouds stood a very large man with a golden musical instrument.  _ A Titan? _ Levi thought curiously. He read the title out loud, "Jack and the Beanstalk."

"Do you want to read this one yourself?" Hanji asked, noticing his curiosity.

Levi passed the book back to her. "No," he declined. "You read it. Hearing your voice relaxes me."

His eyes immediately flicked towards Hanji as he guaged her for a reaction, internally horrified by what he just blurted out. Hanji caught his eye and smiled teasingly at him. "My voice relaxes you Levi?"

"Either you read it, or you leave," Levi huffed, animate about her not digging too much into what he just said. Hanji giggled and began reading the tale of poor Jack and how he came upon some magic beans. 

* * *

 

Levi began to stir. The soft sound of someone's snoring roused him from his slumber. He smelled a familiar scent that he secretly found enjoyable and inhaled softly. Instantly, his eyes shot open, recalling who the smell belonged to.  _ Hanji?! _

He panicked when he noticed that they were both leaning on each other for support. He began to recall last night's events and how Hanji had read him some stories to help them sleep. Levi leaned away from her and immediately regretted his decision when Hanji came falling onto him.

"Oi!" he cried out in alarm. Hanji awoke with a start, realizing she had toppled over on Levi. She fixed her glasses on her nose as they had gone crooked during her sleep. "Levi?" she asked groggily. A very flustered Levi pulled himself as much as he could away from her, tensing himself into a defensive pose when he could go no further. Embarrassed, Hanji pushed herself to a seated position before yawning. 

"Looks like the stories worked, neh?" Hanji asked, breaking the awkward silence between them.

"A-ah," Levi admitted quietly, standing up and straightening out his clothes. His heart hammered in his chest as he struggled to calm his nerves. Physical intimacy was something he was not comfortable with, having an absence of such during his youth. He never knew how to respond when someone tried to touch him aside from avoiding it altogether and lashing out when someone got too close for his comfort. 

Hanji had taken to her feet as well and picked up the book that had fallen to the floor. Confused also by the fluttering feeling she was experiencing in her stomach, she cleared her throat to break the tension in the room. "Thanks again for...indulging my shenanigans, like always," Hanji said. 

"You always put me through the strangest shit," Levi muttered mid stretch before casting a side glance to Hanji. "You fucking abnormal," he taunted.

"Well," Hanji said, making her way to the door. "See you later, ok?"

She opened the door and closed it before Levi could say anything. Levi continued to look at his closed door for a moment before shaking his head of the strange feelings that were bombarding and filling his head with odd thoughts. "What the hell was that about?" Levi wondered aloud. Although he initially panicked at the intrusion of Hanji's body on his, once she was gone he felt...conflicted. Hanji always felt invitingly warm. Once she was away, he was reminded once more about how colder it was without her nearby.

Hanji walked quickly to her room, book clutched tight to her chest. "Well that was a first," she breathed out nervously.  _ We've fallen asleep in the same room many times...but never on the bed together! _ "Dammit," Hanji cursed. "I hope Levi didn't notice my odd reaction!" Knowing Levi was not one for having an expansive personal space boundary, Hanji made sure to respect his limits as often as possible. However, it was very difficult. Levi was her friend and she found him ultimately adorable, despite his brashness. She constantly had to refrain from her urges to embrace him, or shower him with friendly gestures. As she walked along, she wondered if her feelings for him had more...complicated meaning. 


	2. Glasses

Hanji sank to her knees on the blood-soaked grass, exhausted from having just suffered a heavy loss to her squad. Her chest heaved as she tried desperately to calm her nerves. In a rage, she had blindly gone after the Titans that had dealt the lethal blow to the Survey Corps. In doing so, she had nearly lost her life too, if it weren't for the efforts of some nearby soldiers. 

With the Titans down, their steam rising into the air as a sign of their defeat, Hanji could only watch as some of the soldiers began wrapping up the casualties. Amongst the carnage, it was hard deciphering who was who. Hanji's glasses had been cracked during the battle and lay at her side, useless. She heard footsteps approaching her from behind and stop just shortly before reaching her. Her goggles were picked up by that person before hearing the familiar "tch" noise commonly produced by one particularly sassy comrade. 

"Shitty glasses...again?" the low, gruff voice uttered.

Hanji didn't answer, but grunted in response. She knew he was referring to her broken glasses. Even she couldn't recall all the times she had broken a pair during the expeditions beyond the walls. Levi took his eyes off of her to observe the events happening before him. 

"How many?" he asked her, referring to the amount of her squad that she lost. 

After a brief pause Hanji quietly muttered, "Three."

Levi nodded even though he knew Hanji wasn't looking at him. "Losing lives is part of the job, you know that," Levi answered, not offering even the slightest bit of remorse in his tone. "You're not the only one who lost good men and women today-"

"Shut up!" Hanji shouted, jumping to her feet. She turned to glower at her shorter comrade. "You think I don't know that?!" 

Levi merely watched her, unphased by her emotional outburst. 

With her vision blurred, Hanji was much more emotional and began shaking with fury. "Those three I lost, I was entrusted to their safety! You and I are both Squad Leaders and their lives are our responsibility! Or do you not care?! Are you so perfect that you come back every-"

"Two," Levi said plainly.

"Eh?" Hanji asked quietly, confused both on being interrupted and by what he meant. 

"I lost two of my own today." Levi answered matter-of-factly.

"Oh," Hanji replied, not sure how to respond. "I'm sor-"

"Sorry is not going to bring them back." Levi snapped. "It brings  _ no one  _ back. And neither does your sniveling. I accepted this long ago and ever since, I've made myself a vow not to waste mine  _ or  _ the Survey Corps' time blubbering over spilled blood. But don't you dare take that as a lack of my consideration to their sacrifices. Just move on, and do your best in this life so that their lives were not in vain!"

Hanji ogled at Levi in shock. It was not like him to speak so much. He was a man of very few words. Levi turned to walk away as the soldiers were preparing to return. "You understand, you Shitty Four Eyes?" Levi called over his shoulder as he mounted his horse. 

Hanji snapped out of her confusion and went to find her horse, as well. She reached inside a pouch she had fastened to her horse's saddle. She pulled out a spare pair of goggles and fastened them around her head. After mounting her horse, she brought it alongside Levi. "Understood," she said to him, giving him a slight smile. Levi momentarily flicked his eyes towards hers in regard before bringing them forward and continued to follow the retreating caravan.

"Levi?" she asked, bringing his attention back to her. 

"What?" Levi responded, continuing to stare forward.

"I'm glad you're still here with me," she replied bestowing him a look of gratitude and relief. That comment hit Levi like a rock to the back of his head, catching him off guard as he stared at Hanji like an idiot. His mind went blank, not knowing how to answer her. He knew he was an important asset, but nobody ever actually expressed their appreciation for him before on a personal level. 

"F-focus on the mission, Four Eyes," Levi replied dismissively, gripping the reins of his horse a bit tighter and urging it forward at a brisker pace. 

* * *

 

Levi had just exited the nearby tea shop, cup in hand. He looked around to see other members of the Survey Corps walking around the town. Some were replenishing supplies, while others were just enjoying some time away from their usual training. It had been a few days after they returned from their last mission and it would be a while before the next one. So most of the scouts were making the best use of their time, in case the next mission would be their last. 

Levi spotted a familiar skinny figure sitting on the wall overlooking the river running through the city. Her messy brown hair pulled into an untidy ponytail blew carelessly in the wind as she sipped the contents inside her mug. Levi breathed out a small sound of interest and slowly approached her. 

"Four Eyes," he greeted, sitting down next to her. She looked at him and huffed. "You know we've been friends for a while now..." she began.

"Have we?" Levi teased playfully, sipping his tea with a hidden smile. 

"And this whole time, you still insist on calling me Shitty Glasses, Four Eyes, anything but my name!" Hanji finished, acting as if Levi never cut in. 

"What are you talking about?" Levi demanded, giving Hanji his powerful stare. "I call you Hanji."

"Not all the time," Hanji argued. "You rarely call me by my name. It's usually those other unflattering names."

"Unflattering?" Levi echoed, seemingly offended. 

However, before he could continue, both of them turned to the sound of someone whistling. It was Erwin, waving them over. "Let's head out!" he ordered. 

Hanji and Levi looked at each other. "We're not finished with this," Hanji warned Levi. 

"Yeah yeah," Levi replied dismissively, picking himself up to join up with everyone else. He watched as Hanji walked purposely ahead of him. His face screwed up in thought for a moment before returning back to his emotionless expression.  _ Unflattering, huh?  _  he thought to himself.  _ Not to me... _

* * *

 

Once the Survey Corps had arrived back to their base and settled back to their usual routine, Levi found himself in his own private quarters. It was nice having a place to himself. After a few months in the Survey Corps, he, Hanji, Mike and a few others who were squad leaders, received officer's rooms. No more bunks to share with another person.

Levi settled at his desk and sipped a fresh cup of tea as he quietly gazed out of his window. The weather had taken a turn from sunny to gloomy with a strong chance of rain. Although it was peaceful to watch, whenever an upcoming storm approached, Levi was flooded with painful reminders of the day he lost Isabel and Farlan. Levi's stomach twisted momentarily trying to push those memories aside, even though it had been almost a year since he lost his dear friends. 

He quickly turned his attention away from the window and began working on the stack of reports on his desk. He had already began a few but took a break to enjoy some of his tea. Some reports were of his own. However, majority of them were submitted from his subordinates that he had to review before turning them into Erwin. "Perks of the job..." Levi muttered irritably, before looking over the next paper in his hand. 

Time flew by unexpectedly. Levi hadn't even realized how dark and ominous the sky had turned when a flash from outside momentarily lit up his office. Levi blinked for a second, thinking that he was just tired when he jumped at the loud crash of the thunder that followed. Levi's brow furrowed as the past began to creep up on him. He stood up immediately, eyes transfixed on the storm outside. 

Memories of a messy haired, blue eyed man and a cute redhead girl with green eyes came to mind.  _ Shit _ ...thought Levi. He looked down to clear his head of those horrid images of his fallen friends. He needed to seek solace in something peaceful to help calm his anxiety and immediately thought of a fearless brainy scientist. 

He turned on his heel and headed for his door in a hurry. His hand was on the doorknob, ready to turn, but was halted when a knock came from the other side of his door. Confused, he waited for a moment until the knock came again. Levi opened it to find that his scientist friend had come to him first. 

"Hanji," he greeted calmly, masking his joy at her arrival.  _ There, I said her name, _ Levi thought to himself. 

"Levi, sorry to interrupt you. Can I come in?" Hanji asked. 

Levi opened the door wider and walked back towards his desk, signaling her to come inside. As she walked in, Levi commented, "So even with your own lab and your own room, you still need to be in mine?"

As Hanji sat down on Levi's chair, he moved the paperwork to the opposite corner of his desk and perched himself on the now free side. 

"I needed to get your signature on some of these forms," Hanji admitted apologetically. "I didn't interrupt you did I? It looked like you were on your way out."

"I was..." Levi began.  _ Perceptive woman, _ he thought. "until you came."

"Where were you off to?" Hanji asked, looking up at Levi as he towered over her for once as he sat atop his own desk. She smiled at their temporary height difference.

"That's none of your concern Shitty Glasses." Levi remarked abruptly. He began to swirl his tea around in his cup, one leg crossed over the other.

Hanji's demeanor changed from friendly to stoic. "I see. Again with the 'shitty'." She pulled up the papers that she needed signed and placed them on Levi's desk. She stood up to leave and asked as professional as possible, "Please sign these and get them to me at your earliest convenience."

"Leaving so soon?" Levi taunted, doing his best to hide his disappointment. "Didn't you want to discuss the matter or your nicknames?"

Hanji froze at Levi's door. She turned around and noticed Levi's smirk. He knew that would work. "Are you going to stop?" Hanji asked.

"No," he countered bluntly. He hopped off of his desk and met her eyes with his poker-faced stare.

"Well why not?" Hanji cried. "You know what?!" she snapped, ripping off her glasses and tucking them into her pocket. "I just won't wear them anymore! Then what are you going to call me, huh?" She began to step challengingly towards Levi, who watched her with an amused expression. At once, Hanji tripped over a stool near Levi's entryway and went flying to the floor. 

Her glasses went skidding forward, stopping just short of Levi's boots. He chuckled and stooped down to pick up her glasses. He inspected them for damage, satisfied that they weren't. He stepped over towards Hanji, who was now sitting on the floor, holding her shin that she bumped, and moaning, "Owowowow". He noted how cute she looked and kneeled down before her, gently placing her glasses on her face. He was careful not to poke her eyes with the handles.

"Idiot," Levi simply stated. "If you don't wear your glasses, I will call you an idiot."

"I'm an intelligent, innovative scientist!" Hanji spat back. "I'm in no way, an idiot!"

"Claims the  _ intelligent, innovative scientist  _ who's on their ass after taking off their much needed glasses," Levi mocked, standing up and pulling Hanji by the arm with him. 

Once on her feet, she defiantly yanked her arm out his grasp. Levi tutted, his expression softening for a moment as he looked at Hanji's angered face. "Look," he said, bringing her attention to him. However, before he could continue, a flash of lightning filled the room with light followed immediately by a large boom of thunder. 

Levi's face briefly contorted into panic and Hanji caught it. Realization hit her immediately and she smiled sympathetically at him. Levi shook his head of the memories and noticed Hanji walking towards his desk. 

"Oi," he called to her, wondering what she was doing. 

"You mind?" she inquired, as she began pouring herself a cup of tea. 

"Wouldn't matter if I told you otherwise," Levi muttered more to himself than her. 

This time, Hanji perched on his desk while Levi made his way to his chair. He took his own cup to enjoy his tea with her. He peered up at her, and noticed how warmly she was looking at him. "Are you going to continue complaining about your nicknames?" he challenged.

Hanji shook her head. "I'll drop it for now." She took in the taste of the tea and hummed. "You always make your tea so nice. I'm not surprised, seeing as you enjoy tea so much."

"Well I'm surprised a refined woman like yourself can't appreciate tea as equally," Levi replied sarcastically.

Hanji ignored his insult and continued. "You know, I've done my research on Titans to find that they themselves don't have taste buds."

"You don't say," Levi replied in boredom although she clearly had his attention. 

"Nope." Hanji answered. "You know how we can tell the difference in salty, sweet, sour, etc.? Titans can't tell the difference...or they just don't care."

Hanji began to explain her findings to Levi as he listened. He found himself relaxing and forgetting about the painful memories, even as the storm continued to crash and rage outside. Instead, he focused on her words and voice, as it put him at ease. He smiled softly as he wondered if Hanji did this on purpose.  _ Had she noticed?  _ Levi wondered to himself if Hanji saw his face, giving away the pain he allowed momentarily to show. He didn't dwell too much on it. Because in the next few moments, he was fast asleep.

Hanji noted when Levi knocked out. However, she continued to talk, to make sure that he was truly asleep. Then, she stood up and went over to his bed. She grabbed the topmost blanket and draped it over his shoulders, whispering, "Goodnight, you grump." Her eyes looked over Levi's face and enjoyed how peaceful he looked during sleep. There were no harsh lines, no stoic, emotionless eyes. He looked almost angelic.

With an affectionate pat on the head, she walked out of the room and closed the door quietly behind her. 


	3. Glasses 2

The clinks of glasses and mugs filled the noisy bar that Levi was in. Around him were other soldiers having a good time and unwinding from their day. Immediately at the bar counter aside from him were Erwin, Hanji, Mike, Nanaba, and some other subordinates that considered themselves close to both Mike and Erwin. 

Erwin had invited those particular soldiers to that bar that evening. Although Levi had declined as politely as he could muster, Erwin had insisted that the squad leaders be there at the very least. Levi knew Erwin probably had some news to announce. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so persistent. 

"Alright alright," Erwin boomed over the noise. "Settle down. Now, I know we came here to unwind but I also have an ulterior motive."

"As expected of Erwin!" hooted one of the subordinates hunkered at the bar. Everyone seemed tipsy at the scene. Even Erwin seemed to be a bit more fluid in his behavior. All but Levi. He sat there with them and enjoyed his liquor. However, Levi knew, and maybe some of the others did as well, that he was unable to get drunk. Why, was a complete mystery to Levi too. 

Erwin cleared his throat once more to get their attention. "Lately I've been looking over everyone's performance. And I think it would be best for the Survey Corps to have someone that they could really count on." 

_ Oh shit, _ Levi stilled. He knew where this was going and it was too late to escape now. He made a quick glance behind him towards the bar exit and was starting to contemplate making a run for it before Erwin starting talking once more. Erwin had already made this suggestion to him in private. He wanted Levi to take on the position of Captain. However, before Levi could accept, he stated that he wanted to improve on his writing skills first. He knew his position would not be taken seriously by any of the King’s nobles if his literacy was that of growing up from the Underground City.

"Although he has only been here for a limited time, his reputation is starting to precede him not only from the Survey Corps, but the Military Police and even the King's Court!" Erwin continued, his blue eyes gleaming with anticipation of his upcoming announcement. 

"Yeah," Mike hiccupped. "They're even going as far as naming him 'Humanity's Strongest Soldier!"

The soldiers around the bar began whooping and chanting Levi's name. Levi shuddered and shot everyone a displeased glare. 

"Hah, yes," Erwin resumed, lifting his ale mug in the air to gain some type of order. "But on the serious note, Levi." He turned to face the scowling soldier. "I really want you to become Captain of the Survey Corps. We could use your leadership to help bring us more victories than we could ever achieve without you."

Levi regarded him silently. "Well?" Erwin asked.

"Well what?" Levi answered, not knowing what Erwin wanted him to say: a speech?

"Is this something you don't want?" Erwin asked, pressing Levi for a response.

"It isn't something I want," Levi agreed, causing everyone around him to hush. "But if that's what is requested of me, I am not going to argue. I'll do it." 

The bar erupted in cheers again, much to Levi's frustration. Someone clapped Levi on the back upon passing by and Levi almost swung out a punch if Mike hadn't grabbed his shoulder. "Congratulations little man!" Mike teased. His inebriated state made him get a little too close to Levi for comfort, which wasn't an easy task for the giant of a man. Mike towered over Levi's small stature, his breath smelled strongly of liquor. 

Levi pulled away with a muttered 'Thanks'. 

"So where do you get all your strength anyway?" Mike asked, looking him over as if Levi was merely hiding the answer to his question out in the open. Mike smoothed some of his long hair out of the way of his eyes. "Because taking a look at you,  _ anyone _ , I'm sure, would have never guessed."

"Yeah!" shrieked Nanaba. "You should have definitely came with a warning label!" She teetered on her seat and fell onto Mike in a fit of uncontrolled laughter. 

Levi ignored their comments and did his best to finish his glass. He made a mental note that this was his last drink because he was leaving. Hanji was watching Levi with a worried expression. She didn't like where this was headed.  

"Tell us Levi," another one of the subordinates prodded. "Was it because you're from the Underground City? Because none of us are from there. You seem to be the only one. Is that why?"

Levi's fists clenched tightly. He was nearing his limit on how much he could endure. 

"Hey now," Hanji intervened, trying to ease the situation. "That's not fair to-"

"Heichou," Erwin boomed, causing everyone to grow quiet again. "Every subordinate here at the Survey Corps will address Levi as either that, or Captain Levi. Understood?"

The group agreed in unison. Levi merely sighed and hopped down from his stool to leave. "Levi wait," Erwin called. Levi paused but didn't turn around. 

"I intend to create a group of soldiers directly under your command. However it will be up to you to choose them." Erwin explained. 

"Fine," Levi agreed, still waiting for Erwin to finish speaking to him.

"I will hold a special training session sometime this week." Erwin concluded. "From there, we will not only test your ability to lead. You will also be observing some of our finest soldiers to choose whom will be on your team."

Levi nodded and made his way to the door. Once it was closed behind him, he took a few steps forward out of the light and pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to collect himself. "Bastards," Levi cursed under his breath. "They think they can judge me from my background. It's just like when I first joined..."

He heard the door open to the bar and some footsteps running towards him. He lifted his head to see Hanji stumbling over. 

"What do you want Shitty Glasses?" he snarled. As much as he liked Hanji, Levi didn't care for anyone's company at the moment.

"You OK?" she asked, her brown eyes inspecting him in concern. "What they were saying in there earlier..." She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"You here to probe me too?" Levi snapped, shrugging off her hand. "I'm not surprised, since you're into that science shit."

"That's not-" she protested. 

"I will not be one of your test subjects." Levi declared firmly. 

Hanji waited to make sure he was done before continuing. "I don't want you to be. None of that stuff matters to me," she assured while stepping closer to Levi. 

"Oi," Levi warned, noticing her gain in proximity. "You reek. Like alcohol and your usual stench."

"I mentioned before that your upbringing is irrelevant." Hanji continued. "We're on the same team right?"

"What are you talking about Shitty Glasses?" Levi retorted. "You were the first one to ask me how I was so adept with the ODM gear, remember?"

"I just wanted to know how you were so advanced," Hanji reasoned defensively. "Your skills were amazing for someone not being formally trained in the military; I told you."

"So..." Levi asked cautiously. "You're  _ not  _ going to hound me with a shit load of questions about my past?"

"What and when you want to tell me is entirely up to your discretion," Hanji replied with a smile. "And as your friend, I'll be here to listen to whatever you have to say." 

Levi regarded her with his cold gaze, yet felt his anger start to fizzle out as he remembered that this was Hanji he was dealing with after all. Although it was true that she had originally asked him about his skill with the ODM gear, she was just being curious. She not only appeared fascinated with Levi, but treated him like respect and admiration, as opposed to the other soldiers who treated him like some type of hostile. 

"I care little where you came from or what you've done in the past," Hanji said, stepping closer to Levi again. "You're you and I accept who you are..." she paused to tap his nose gently with her finger. " _ Heichou _ ." Levi pulled away in annoyance, wrinkling his nose at the sudden contact and Hanji laughed heartily. 

"You're drunk," Levi deduced. It was less accusatory and more of a reasoning for himself on justifying her behavior. "Go back to the barracks already."

Hanji laughed again and turned to walk away. She began to make her way towards the dark streets.

"Oi, where are you going?" Levi cried out to her, puzzled where she was wandering off to.

"Back to the barracks," Hanji answered, spinning around to face Levi with a clumsy turn. 

"What, you're going to walk all the way there?" Levi asked. She nodded. "Tch. Get over here, idiot." Levi ordered while motioning towards his direction. "I'm getting a ride back. Come with me." 

"Ooh!" Hanji teased, giving a salute. "Your first order as captain! Yes Heichou!"

Levi winced at that word coming from her lips. He didn't like it. Not at all. It felt...odd for her to call him that. He didn't consider Hanji a subordinate and therefore didn't feel it necessary for her to address him in that manner. 

As they waited for a carriage to arrive, Levi turned to Hanji. "You know you don't have to address me as that, right?"

"What?" Hanji asked. "Heichou?"

Levi winced again. "Yes. I don't consider you my...subordinate. So don't feel like you have to say it, understand?"

Hanji nodded at him, curious on why it bothered him so much. The two waited the rest of the time in silence until a carriage came for them. 

Once at the barracks, Levi walked closely with Hanji in case she stumbled in her steps. She wasn't that drunk but he wanted to make sure she didn't fall flat on her face or injure herself, especially with this new expedition scheduled to come up this month. Levi escorted her to her room and left her from there. 

"Thanks Levi!" she hollered before opening the door to let herself in. 

"Don't mention it," Levi emitted over his shoulder with a wave of his hand. "Seriously. Don't."

Hanji giggled and lingered at her doorway to watch him walk away before closing the door behind her.

* * *

 

Levi had returned to his room. He removed his military attire and belts. After changing into more comfortable clothing, he lied down on his bed, arms folded behind his head and his legs bent, one crossed over the other. He began to muse over the days events.  _ Captain? _ he thought to himself.  _ Can't believe they want someone like me to be the captain of the Survey Corps... _ He closed his eyes and thought about his days as a delinquent street thug. He scowled in thought at the way everyone in the Survey Corps once looked at him. Like filth. Like some criminal who couldn't be trusted... 

A swift flash of brown messy hair, reflective glasses, and a large grin came into view. He remembered the way her eyes bore into his and the way she gushed over his actions, as if he wasn't some criminal to be feared...or loathed.  _ At least that person has faith in me, _ he thought with a sense of warmth filling his chest. After losing Isabel and Farlan, it was nice to have someone else to call his friend. He wasn't totally alone as he once feared.  _ I wonder what she even sees in me, _ Levi wondered, questioning how someone as cheery and brilliant as her could want to be friends with someone as rough and cold as him. 

Levi's thoughts were interrupted when he heard a knock on his door. "Come in!" Levi called while sitting up on his bed.

Erwin entered with some files in his hand. "Glad you're not asleep yet."

"This couldn't wait until morning?" Levi asked, shifting his legs so that they dangled over his bed, feet on the floor. 

"I suppose it could," Erwin answered. "But maybe it's best to give you a head start."

"Head start on what?" questioned Levi. He stood up now and began approaching his desk so that he could meet Erwin there. 

Erwin reached Levi's desk and set down a stack of files on top. "Survey Corps member files," Erwin stated. "I've compiled a list of soldiers that have the most potential to being a part of your Special Operations squad. Each file has a brief bio, along with their list of assists, skills, and accomplishments."

Levi eyed them from where he stood with interest. He glanced up at Erwin with a humored look. "Finally sobered up from being shitfaced?"

"I did," Erwin answered, giving Levi a slight frown. "Why do you ask?"

"Just checking," Levi replied, taking the files and with one hand spreading them neatly across his desk like a deck of cards. "Didn't want you to make these choices in an impaired state of mind."

"Well, although I did choose the initial candidates," Erwin clarified. "It will be entirely up to you who gets to make the final cut. Take into consideration their dossiers. Ultimately, it will be your observations of their performance that will affect your decision." Erwin turned to leave. "Remember, at the end of the week I will be holding that training session that I mentioned earlier. I hope that gives you plenty of time to review the files."

Levi nodded at Erwin before he closed the door behind him. With one more quick glance at the files atop his desk, Levi yawned and walked back to his bed. 

* * *

 

"Oi, there you are," Levi muttered, nudging open Hanji's laboratory door with his shoulder. His hands were full with that morning's breakfast. He had acquired an extra plate, just in case Hanji had not eaten yet, which was a common occurrence. 

Hanji peered up from the book she had resting open in her hands. She was leaning against her large bookshelf while deep in her research. "You were looking for me?" she asked confused, adjusting her glasses atop her nose. She noticed the extra food on Levi's tray. "And you brought me breakfast?" she asked excitedly. After a moment of thought, her face fell. "Or...you're just really hungry."

"It's for you, you dense woman!" Levi cried in exasperation, storming over and setting down the tray atop Hanji's surprisingly clean desk. He blinked in disbelief and cast a look at her. "There's actually space to put something on here."

Hanji laughed. "Just a few minutes ago, it was crowded full of books. You caught me in the rare act of putting those books away."

"Tch. Just come over here and eat!" Levi ordered. He sauntered over and collected an extra chair from the corner so that he could sit across from Hanji at her desk. Hanji obliged and bounded over to her seat with enthusiasm. The two of them ate in silence for the first minute.

"That's nice of you to wait for me to have breakfast!" Hanji praised, beaming at Levi. 

"Don't talk with your mouth full, that's disgusting," Levi grimaced. He quickly averted his eyes downward and continued to eat. Hanji smiled at him adoringly. She loved the way that he came off so harsh but unconsciously showed his thoughtful side.  _ I wonder if he does this only for me, _ Hanji pondered, feeling special.  

The two continued to eat and make small talk until they both finished their meal. Once they were done, Levi picked up the empty trays and placed them on an small table by the door as a reminder to take them back to the kitchen. He picked up the stack of files that he had left nearby when he first entered.

"What are those, Levi?" Hanji asked curiously. "Do you need me to sign something?"

"No," Levi replied, stepping towards Hanji's desk and placing the files on top of it.

"Ah, these are the ones Erwin selected for you to choose from?" Hanji inquired, helping herself to sit atop her desk.

"Do you have to have your ass right here while I look through these?" Levi complained, displeased that Hanji had rumpled some of the paperwork to the side. 

"Oh, sorry," Hanji cried absentmindedly and jumped down off the desk. "Any good ones yet?"

"There are some impressive ones," Levi answered. He was exhausted from having gone through them the past few days. However, with the approaching training event, he wanted to make sure he was ready. He glanced up at Hanji, appreciating her assistance. Since she was in the Survey Corps longer than he, Hanji was able to provide more insight about the soldiers he was deliberating over.

* * *

 

"Is Erwin asking you to participate in this training too?" Levi asked her after a while. They had already spent a good amount of time going over some of the files. Levi picked them out and Hanji gladly offered her input.

"Yeah," Hanji admitted. "I have some new members on my squad. I may not have the team with the most impressive stats, but I was asked to help anyway."

"Don't do that," Levi scolded, folding his arms across his chest while giving her a stern countenance.

"Do what?" Hanji asked, confused.

"Don't sell you and your squad short." Levi replied. "If you and your squad weren't already established, I'm sure your files would have been in here too."

"Well well," Hanji smirked playfully, leaning closer towards him. "Aren't you the flattering one today?"

_ Too close, _ Levi gulped nervously and backed away. "Tch, don't be stupid," Levi griped, turning his head away. "I'm not being flattering. I'm just telling you not to question you or your squad member's skills."

"Neh Levi," Hanji resumed, walking around the desk, running her fingertips across the surface in thought. "If my file was on your desk, would you have chosen me?"

Levi's eyebrows raised in surprise, having been thrown off by being asked such a question. It was true that he worked well with Hanji and trusted her deeply as a comrade. However, it was an entirely different thing to command her while part of his subordinating squad. "No," he finally answered.

"Eh?!" Hanji cried. "Why not? Am I that lousy of a soldier?"

"No," Levi argued back. "I already told you that you're skilled. Are you deaf now?"

"Then why not?" Hanji demanded with a pout. "Is it because you don't trust me?"

Levi muttered, "You know it's not that, stupid." He closed his eyes and began retreating away from her. 

"Then what?!" Hanji pried. "Tell me!"

"Enough!" Levi snapped, whirling around to face her. He scowled at Hanji for a second before softening his expression. He knew deep down he shared a connection with Hanji unlike the others. She was special to him in more ways than he was willing to admit, or even attempt to describe. However trying to say so in words to her was out of the question.

"Was this about before? How you don't consider me a subordinate?" Hanji asked, recalling her previous conversation with Levi. "Is it?"

Levi calmed, dumbfounded about how often this woman was able to recall these things. He nodded at her.

"Well Heichou, I'm honored you think so highly of me," Hanji teased, giving a dramatic bow. 

Levi made an irritated expression and muttered, "I told you not to call me that."

"What  _ Heichou? _ " Hanji poked further at him, posing a mock salute.

"Yes Dammit!" Levi barked, growing angry. "Don't call me that!" 

"Why?" Hanji asked, although she already knew the answer. "Does it bother you that much?"

"Dammit Shitty Glasses, you know it does!" Levi snapped back. 

"Then stop calling me Shitty Glasses!" Hanji argued just as aggressively, turning the tables on him. "Now you know how it feels to be called something you don't like!"

Levi's eyes widened momentarily at her outburst before narrowing them at her. "No," he stated firmly before his scowl eased up. "Besides, you don't want to call me Heichou because you consider us friends right?"

"If we were friends you would stop calling me Shitty Glasses!" Hanji roared. "If  _ you _ considered us friends, then you would stop!"

Levi felt his vein pulsate near his temple. "Well maybe I'm not your real friend!" Levi shouted back at her. They glared at each other, both huffing from having just screamed. Hanji's face displayed that of shock and betrayal. Levi turned away, refusing to join eyes. "I never told you I wanted to be your friend, remember? You just assumed in the shitty mind of yours-"

Before he could continue, Hanji had stormed out of her lab, slamming the door. Levi flinched at the sound and fixated on the closed door. His grabbed fistfuls of his hair and stared down angrily.  _ Shit shit shit! _ he swore.  _ Why the hell did I say that?! _ He began to pace, cursing himself for having poor control of his outbursts. He felt terrible having said those words to Hanji. He secretly held her as his closest, if not only friend in the Survey Corps. 

He seized the trays off the table and stormed over to the kitchen to leave them near the other dirty dishes. He grumbled to himself all the way, ignoring the other soldiers that gave him odd looks as he brushed past them, seemingly talking to himself. Levi sulked over to his room and plopped himself on the bed, slumping his shoulders in defeat. His thoughts were flooded with Hanji and different ways he could remedy the situation.

A knock came at his door, breaking Levi from his mental beratement. Levi rushed to the door and swung it open, assuming it was Hanji. "Oi, Shitty Glas-" He shut his mouth. Before him stood Erwin. Levi cleared his throat before greeting, "Erwin."

"Shitty glasses?" Erwin mused, his eyebrows raised in speculation. "Isn't that what you call Hanji?"

Levi glared at him, not wanting to deal with Erwin's prying at the moment. "What is it?"

Erwin's smile faded away. "Change of plans. We're going to have to skip the training session and go straight for the expedition."

"How soon?" Levi asked.

"Tomorrow morning soon," Erwin replied gravely. "Have you had enough time to look over the files?"

"Aah," Levi answered. "I've looked them over."

"And?" Erwin pressed. 

"Like you said," Levi replied. "I'll have to observe them personally to make my final decision."

"Very good," Erwin responded. "Be ready to leave by 10am tomorrow. I would have planned it earlier but we need time to prepare for the sudden change."

* * *

 

The following morning, Levi had made attempts to indirectly cross paths with Hanji. He didn't know what to say to her if they did run into each other, but he was hoping she would be the one to initiate that awkward conversation. Unfortunately, he didn't see her at that morning's briefing. It was just Erwin, Mike, and himself at the meeting. When trying to sound as casual as possible asking for her, he was informed that she had already been briefed on the expedition and her duties. 

As Levi sat down at the mess hall, he never saw Hanji either. He patiently waited to see if she would come down later but she never did. He was running out of time and figured she was just busy in either her room or in her lab. Levi instantly had the idea to bring her breakfast like last time. He snagged an extra plate of the morning's lineup and headed up to her room. To Levi's disappointment, she wasn't in there. He wandered down to her lab instead. 

Levi hesitated at the front Hanji's laboratory door. He stared at it determinedly, collecting his thoughts and how he was going to approach her.  _ I'm just going to bring her the food, apologize for saying what I said, and see where it goes from there.  _ He remained there gathering his courage.  _ Why is this so hard? I have to do this. If something happens beyond the walls to either one of us...I can't leave it like this... _

He took a deep breath and pushed open her door. Moblit was in front of Hanji's desk with his back towards him. However, when the door opened, he turned and looked over his shoulder at Levi, who was standing stiff with the tray of food in his hands. "Levi Heichou, good morning!" Moblit greeted. 

Levi ignored him and looked past Moblit. There was a tray of the morning's breakfast already on Hanji's desk, apparently brought by Moblit himself. Hanji stood across the desk, analyzing some papers when she glanced up to regard Levi. Before she could say anything, Levi gritted his teeth and turned around, leaving the room without a word. 

He stormed over to the kitchen and threw the tray atop the table in the back near the other dirty dishes before making his way to the stables to ready his horse. 

* * *

 

The Survey Corps were gathered in front of the wall gate, mounted on their horses and ready to go. Erwin was at the lead and as usual, Levi and Hanji were positioned just behind him, side by side. Levi kept stealing small glances at Hanji. At one point, she caught one of his glances. Levi opened his mouth to say something but couldn't form the words. He closed his mouth again before muttering, "Hanji, I-"

"Prepare to advance in 10 seconds!" Erwin roared, startling Levi's attention forward. He looked over at Hanji again, who had set her eyes ahead. Levi did the same, knowing he had to be on alert for this mission, along with observing those soldiers he had in mind. They steadied themselves as they listened to Erwin's countdown. At the final second, Erwin gave the command and they all took off past the gate and into Titan territory. 


	4. Glasses 3

The Expedition led by newly appointed Captain Levi were gathered in a clearing, close to some large trees. They had a few small fires going since night had fallen and a chill blew in the air. Their horses whinnied nearby and shifted restlessly, having just recovered from the recent Titan battle. 

"Are you s-sure the Titans can't move at night, s-sir?" a nervous voice asked Erwin as the soldiers sat scattered amongst the multiple campfires.

"From what we've discovered from experience and Hanji's research, yes." Erwin answered back confidently. 

Levi flinched upon hearing Hanji's name aloud. He grimaced, but cast his eyes downward, not wanting to reveal his concern. During their recent Titan encounter, Hanji's squad was flanking their right just a few hundred meters off. They had led some of the Titans away from the main group, deeper into the forest. However, they never returned. While the remaining group dealt with their Titans, the sun had begun to fall drastically. Their mission had taken longer than expected due to two of their wagons suffering damage to their wheels. Those wagons were imperative to transporting much needed medical supplies and the injured. 

Just before the last Titan had fallen, a distress flare was fired in the direction Hanji's squad had headed. With low visibility, Erwin made the order to remain until their own casualties were counted and an inventory of their horses and remaining wagons were made. Despite the damage they took to their wagons and some minor injuries, there were surprisingly no death casualties.

* * *

 

"They should be fine, right?" Mike asked Erwin, worry etched in his tone. The fire cracked and a few sparks sputtered onto the ground by their boots. 

"I don't know," Erwin replied gravely, poking at the fire with a long stick to adjust some of the logs. "But at least we know that there should be no more Titans attacking them due to nightfall."

"That, or because the Titans already killed them all," Levi spat defiantly, finally speaking up. 

"Levi, I know you're worried about Hanji..." Erwin consoled, sparing him a look of sympathy. 

"Don't say shit you know nothing about!" Levi growled back, his cheeks growing hot from both embarrassment and anger.

"-But we can't risk wandering around at night with poor visibility." Erwin continued without pause. "In the dark, we have minimal chance of finding Hanji's squad. And that distress flare was sent up over an hour ago."

Levi snarled and stalked off to sit somewhere else. He hunched over on an empty log a few meters away. Worry lines were etched deep on his forehead. The sound of uncomfortable silence filled the air apart from the remaining soldiers who talked quietly amongst each other while sitting around the fires. 

Mike suddenly parked down next to Levi, causing him to stir angrily. "We need to rest," Mike disclosed. "We'll take turns with watch. But our men are exhausted and we need to retreat first thing at dawn. Erwin's orders.."

"I'm not going to sleep at a time like this," Levi barked.

"Levi, you look terrible," answered Mike with a sniff. 

"I always look like this," Levi retorted back angrily. "I only need a few hours of sleep a day." 

"Then you take the first shift," Mike suggested, standing up to leave. "Someone will come to relieve you in a couple of hours."

"I know we're on the same team and shit." Levi retaliated, as Mike paused to listen. "But I don't trust you bastards enough to let my guard down and sleep while deep in Titan infested land." 

Mike merely shrugged and walked off. 

* * *

 

Moblit, Nifa, Keiji, and Abel huddled together nervously. A group of Titans had attacked and thankfully, they were able to fight off what they could and seek shelter in some nearby village ruins. A small fire kept them warm and provided limited visibility. Majority of their horses had run off into the forest during the battle and the soldiers continued their whistling for them in vain. 

Moblit wrung his hands together distractedly. He anxiously awaited Hanji's return. An Abnormal had appeared amongst the attacking Titans, causing Nifa to fire off the flare. Hanji had ordered the retreat into the nearby ruins while she distracted the Abnormal, enticing it to follow her away from the group. 

Moblit's ears perked up as he heard the sound of hooves galloping on the ground grow louder. His heart beat hopefully in his chest as the sound was nearing their location. Hanji came into view and her squad took in loud gasps of relief. 

"Buntaicho!" Moblit cried, feeling his heart jolt with relief. 

"I'm OK," Hanji acknowledged shortly, not wanting to take her mind off their safety. "The Abnormal is gone, we're safe."

"Gone as in..." Keiji prodded.

"Dead," Hanji answered, a bit breathless. She dismounted her horse and turned towards her squad. "Yes. Any signs of the horses?"

"Not yet," Nifa answered, discouraged. "We will keep trying."

"Please do," Hanji ordered. She turned to address her squad. "The rest of you, let's look for anything else we can use that's flammable. Old wooden furniture, oils, etcetera."

"How come?" Abel asked, standing up.

"Because we need to make this fire as big as we can so the others can see us," Hanji explained. 

After a few minutes, everyone had returned lugging tables and chairs from the destroyed buildings. Hanji ordered that every item be thrown into the fire. Little by little, their fire had grown into an enormous blaze reaching great heights. Everyone backed away from the flame a safe distance as to not be overwhelmed by the heat. They sat amongst each other as Hanji threw the final broken chair into the inferno. She sat next to Moblit, slightly away from the others. 

"So now we wait?" Nifa asked timidly. 

"Now we wait," Hanji confirmed. 

"W-what if the Titans are drawn to the flame?" Keiji asked. 

"Then we defend ourselves until we have to retreat into the darkness." Hanji ordered. 

"I'm sure Erwin, Mike, Levi and the rest of the expedition will come once they spot the flame," Moblit assured them, noticing their anxious expressions. 

"Not unless they already retreated without us," Hanji muttered with a sad thought. She caught Moblit's eye and snapped out of her despair. "But even so, I still have my horse and can ride back to Headquarters for help while everyone hides in the ruins."

"Buntaicho," Moblit protested. "That's too dangerous alone."

"If no one arrives by dawn, I leave for help," Hanji declared. "You will look after everyone right?"

"Of course," Moblit vowed, giving Hanji a weak smile. 

Hanji sighed in exhaustion and fixated on the flames. "I was kinda hoping Levi would come to save our sorry asses like always," she murmured. "But maybe he felt the Shitty Glasses squad wasn't worth-"

"You two share a strong bond, don't you Buntaicho?" Moblit asked, amused. 

"I thought we did." Hanji replied after a pause. "But now I'm not so sure...now that he's Levi  _ Heichou _ , he doesn't need someone like me...someone who he won't even acknowledge properly..." she trailed off in sad thought as she continued staring into the burning flames. 

"Hanji san," Moblit uttered, recalling a familiar scene of the captain doing exactly the same as Hanji. The sound of her name brought Hanji's attention to him from the fire. "I want to share something with you if that's alright." Hanji nodded at him, her full attention now on Moblit. 

"The other day, myself and a few others were resting in the common area. It was cold, and the large main fireplace was lit so we were sitting around it. Even Levi Heichou was there. He looked very tired and worse for wear."

"Abel was amongst us and had taken off his glasses, setting them on a nearby table while he went to sit closer to the fire. A few moments later, I observed Levi take notice and began staring at the glasses."

"And what, Moblit?" Hanji asked exasperated, not knowing where he was going with this story. "Was he making jokes about the poor man's glasses too?"

"No," Moblit replied. He paused to clear his throat awkwardly. "He was  _ smiling _ ."

"Huh?" Hanji blurted out in confusion. 

"Levi was staring at the glasses and smiling." Moblit clarified. "It wasn't until someone dropped something that he snapped out of it and left the room abruptly. I don't think I have ever seen Heichou smile since he's been here."

Hanji considered Moblit's words for a moment before asking, "What's your point?"

"My point is, Hanji san," Moblit replied patiently. "That Levi Heichou doesn't seem to use those names towards you in malice. He doesn't seem to possess special names towards anyone else, have you noticed? Just you." Moblit turned his head to regard the fire, hiding the envious look in his eyes

Hanji quietly considered Moblit's words before standing up. She looked around for a moment before an epiphany came over her and she pulled her map out of her pocket. She rolled it into the shape of a cone and called over Keiji. 

"Keiji, you're the loudest whistler of all of us." Hanji explained hastily as she approached him.

"I am?" he replied, confused. 

"Yes," Hanji replied quickly. She held the rolled up map to her mouth and continued. "I need you to hold the map just like this to your mouth and whistle the best you can." She thrust the map into Keiji's hands. "This should amplify the sound and hopefully reach the lost horses!"

"Brilliant Hanji san!" Keiji cried and began doing just that. 

Feeling more hopeful, Hanji began jogging back to the others before tripping and falling in the dark. 

* * *

 

Levi stared morosely into the fire. A glint nearby caught his attention and he detected a soldier near him had taken off his glasses and began wiping them. The movement of the lenses and the fire's light caused Levi to enter into a momentary trance as Levi's last moment between himself and Hanji plagued him. Levi clenched his fists tightly.  _ How could I have been such an ass _ ?! he reprimanded himself.  _ She's the only one who’s genuinely friendly in this shithole and I push her away! _

"Fire!" someone screamed. Levi glanced up, annoyed. _Of course there's a fucking fire you idiot,_ Levi thought before seeing a soldier jump upwards with his back towards him. Confused, Levi stood up and noticed that in the direction the soldier was facing, there was, in fact, a fire. Levi's eyes squinted to try and see better.  "Do you think it could be..." wondered a voice aloud. Levi turned and saw that it was Petra Ral. She was one of the soldiers that he had been observing as potential member to his Special Operations squad. "Go wake the others," Levi ordered. Erwin stepped over and joined Levi's side, extending his spyglass to investigate the source of the flame. 

"We need to go see if it's them," Levi urged. 

"We don't know if it's Hanji's squad," Erwin replied tersely.

"We can't afford to rule it out!" Levi hissed, furious that Erwin was showing a lack of compassion. "It's obviously not Titans starting fires!"

"Well not intentionally..." Erwin mused, collapsing his spyglass. He regarded Levi who was growing more agitated by the second. "It's too risky to send all of us at once. We need a smaller,  _ efficient  _ team...Have you decided?"

"Tch," Levi spun around to face the remaining troops. "Listen up! Those I call, come with me to investigate the fire. It could be Hanji's squad and there may be a rescue operation. Eld Jinn, Auruo Bossard, Petra Ral, Gunther Schultz!" 

Those named came forward quickly. Levi surveyed them briefly before barking off orders. "Petra! Auruo! Take one of the wagons and follow Gunther, Eld and I. We will be on horseback!" The team scattered to their respective positions and Erwin called out to Levi, who turned to him. 

"You have 30 minutes. If you're not back, I'll send reinforcements." Erwin stated. "But I hope to see you and your new team back way before. Then I'll assume the worst."

Levi nodded and departed on his horse, his team trailing after him towards the enormous fire. As they approached closer, Levi took note of how the fire wasn't spreading like some accidental wildfire. Instead, it remained in one spot, as if controlled. "Hanji," Levi whispered to himself affectionately, an eager smile forming across his lips. "You brilliant fucking idiot, you."

* * *

 

Abel helped Hanji to her feet gently. "Buntaicho, please be more careful," he urged. Hanji waved him away dismissively while she hobbled over to a nearby wall to lean on, catching her breath from the pain. Her ears perked up at the sound of approaching hooves, more than one horse by the sound of things. She observed her squad just a few meters in front of her to see that they, too, had heard the same thing.

Some horses mounted by soldiers plus a wagon burst into view. Moblit squinted before shouting, "Levi Heicho!" Everyone jumped to their feet as Levi and his squad members slowed to a stop around them. Levi looked around at everyone, searching for someone in particular. "Is anyone hurt?"

"Keiji was thrown from his horse pretty badly," Nifa answered. "But he looks ok."

Levi signaled for Petra to check Keiji’s injuries before addressing the others. "Can you follow?" 

"Our horses ran off during the attack," Moblit pointed out. "We've been trying to call but all we have is Hanji's horse."

"Her horse?" Levi questioned, looking around to see Hanji's horse patiently waiting nearby. His heart fell, having not seen Hanji yet. He began to assume the worst case scenario. "Where..." he had just managed to croak out before he heard some gravel crunching. 

"I'm here," Hanji called while hobbling gingerly towards them from where she had been standing in the shadows. 

"Everyone get into the wagon," Levi ordered. "We're leaving." He turned towards Hanji and began stalking towards her quickly. Hanji halted, bracing for an angry Levi to come and scold her. 

As Levi neared within a foot of Hanji, he seized her brown jacket with both hands, drawing her slightly forward. Hanji tensed in surprise as she tilted her head down to observe Levi. His head was hung downwards but his fists maintained their vice grip on Hanji's jacket, slightly trembling.

Levi didn't know what to say. He was relieved that Hanji was ok, but at the same time he was angry.  _ But at whom?  _ he thought. Was he angry at her...or himself? Levi fought the overwhelming urge to touch her. He didn't know why, he just felt like he had to make sure she was real. Instead, he just settled for the feel of her jacket in his hands.

Hanji exhaled in relief, knowing Levi wasn't going to toss her a few meters in a fury. She felt her cheeks glow slightly, knowing that Levi was behaving like one who was worried sick.  _ If he didn't consider me a friend, he wouldn't be worried like this _ , she thought with satisfaction. 

"Levi," she whispered softly to him. 

Levi winced, clenching her jacket even tighter with a shrill cry, "Don't!" He braced himself for Hanji to say the next word.

Hanji hesitated in confusion before asking, "Don't what?"

"Don't say it..." Levi breathed quietly under his breath. "Heichou...don't..." he leaned forward, pressing his forehead against Hanji's shoulder. Hanji straightened her posture slightly in surprise.  _ What is he doing?  _ she wondered to herself.

"I...wasn't," Hanji assured, still bewildered at his behavior. She felt Levi's grip loosen. He still hadn't met her eyes. Hanji smiled tenderly when she further confirmed why he was acting so strange. She tilted her head down and whispered in his ear, "Sorry to have worried you." 

Levi recoiled, immediately releasing her jacket. He took a few steps back before flaring up at her. "Worried? I'm not fucking worried! I'm fucking pissed at-" However, he stopped when Hanji giggled and began limping towards the others in the wagon. Levi noticed her limp and ran over to her as she stumbled forward from a misplaced step. 

"Tch, hold on Shitty Glasses," Levi ordered, stooping down to help her to her feet. He held one of her arms draped over his shoulders for support. Relishing in her warmth with his other hand on her waist, he guided her to the wagon and helped her climb on. 

"Moblit," Hanji groaned out, landing on the wagon floor with a soft thud. "Take my horse and follow Levi Squad."

"Yes Buntaicho," Moblit agreed, leaving her side to get the horse. Just as he left, there came the sound of approaching hooves again. Levi whirled around, expecting to see Erwin and the others as backup but instead saw the horses that belonged to Hanji's Squad. 

"Our horses!" Nifa exclaimed, jumping out of the wagon. 

"Great!" Keiji quipped, pulling himself away from his other comrades. "Now we don't have to squish each other in the wagon." 

One by one, all of Hanji's squad left the wagon and mounted their respected horses, giving them friendly pats as they greeted them in relief. Levi watched for a moment in silence before turning to his squad. "Auruo," he barked.  "Sir?" Auruo answered quickly. 

"Take my horse back," Levi ordered. 

"Yes Heichou," Auruo responded, eyeing Levi curiously without daring to question him. Levi ignored his glance and hopped onto the wagon to sit across from Hanji. 

"Careful Levi," Hanji warned playfully. Levi's eyes met hers with a cocked eyebrow. "People are going to start to think you care."

"Tch." Levi tsked. " _ You  _ should be the one being careful. What the hell happened to you?" he asked, gesturing to her leg. "Did you get injured from the battle?"

"Sort of...we managed to take out most of the Titans that went after us but then, an Abnormal showed up." Hanji began to fill Levi in as he listened intently. The caravan had already left back towards Erwin and the others.

"During the battle, the horses got spooked and took off." Hanji continued. "I was the only one left with their horse and decided to lead the Abnormal away from everyone else. Once I had the opportunity, I took out the Abnormal and returned to my team."

Levi blinked, waiting for Hanji to explain how she got her injury. When she didn't, Levi sighed in frustration. "Oi, Shitty Glasses, how did you get hurt?"

"Hmm?" Hanji replied, snapping out of her thoughts as she was looked onwards where the caravan was heading. "Oh!" she exclaimed, remembering with embarrassment. "Well, I was running in the dark, when I tripped and twisted my ankle a bit."

She met Levi's stern stare. Hanji smiled sheepishly before Levi's expression broke. He chuckled softly. "Geez you're a strange one," and grabbed her foot playfully. 

"Owowowow!" cried Hanji, lurching forward to steady her leg.

Levi immediately released her foot and put his hands up in apology. "Ah! Sorry! I forgot!" He cursed himself at hurting her but she began laughing, easing his worry. They regarded each other for a moment, both knowing there was an elephant in the wagon that needed to be acknowledged. 

"About what I said earlier," Levi murmured quietly, averting his eyes. 

"You don't have to say anything now," Hanji assured softly. 

"Yes," Levi protested, snapping his face back towards her. "I have to-"

"No," Hanji replied. "I mean, I think we're here." She leaned over the wagon's edge and noticed the nearby fires and the other soldiers. "So you weren't really that far from us after all," Hanji mused. The volume of everyone's excited voices grew louder and Levi decided to save his conversation with Hanji for another time. 

"Erwin!" Hanji cried out in excitement as she saw the handsome blonde approach her with Mike at his side. "Mike!" she squealed as he came and scooped her out of the wagon, carefully carrying her back to their camp. 

"Oi..." Levi griped quietly in annoyance, feeling an odd emergence of anger, seeing Hanji carried by that large, burly man.  _ Jealous? _ Levi considered the unfamiliar emotion. 

"Oh I'm sorry," Mike teased, turning to face Levi with a smiling Hanji in his arms. "Did you need a lift too?"

"Tch!" Levi hissed while turning his head, feeling his face grow hot. Erwin smiled at him and looked around at Hanji's squad and Levi's. "Great work Levi," Erwin praised as Levi hopped out of wagon. They walked back together towards camp. "I take it you chose well?"

"It wasn't like we survived an epic battle on the way," Levi answered. "Yet they follow orders well and I've been watching them since we first left on this death mission."

Levi and Erwin stopped in front of the soldiers settling their horses with the others. Hanji's squad walked away, thanking Levi and his newly chosen squad. 

"The lot of you," Erwin addressed them. "Congratulations. It looks like you are the newly formed Special Operations Squad, or Levi Squad. Consider yourselves the elite and thus I expect as much from each of you." They saluted Erwin in unison before Erwin nodded and left to rejoin the group.     

"Special Operations Squad, Heichou?" Eld questioned, prompting Levi to turn his gaze from Erwin to him. 

"Yes," Levi replied. "That means any mission that requires special skill and tactics will be left in our hands." He looked around at the few chosen faces. "Anyone feel like they aren't cut out for that?" Everyone shook their heads vigorously from side to side. 

"Good," Levi said. "You should all feel very proud to have been chosen. If it weren't for your skill, you wouldn't be standing here in front of me. Now...get some rest. We leave back to the barracks at dawn and need to have our wits about us in case we are attacked again."

* * *

 

Hanji stirred in surprise as she felt someone sit next to her. She was leaning against some large boulders as she warmed herself by the fire. Her leg had been wrapped for support around her ankle and foot. She moved it slightly away so that it wouldn't be disturbed by whoever sat down.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to grab your dumb foot again," came Levi's gruff voice. He leaned forward so that he could get a better look at Hanji's face. "How is it, anyway?" he asked. 

"Better," Hanji replied. "I don't feel much. So even if you did want to grab my foot again-"

Levi scoffed. "You should get some rest. You know we leave at dawn right?"

"I know," Hanji retorted. "But like you, I don't sleep very much too."

Levi nodded his head, enjoying the relief he felt having Hanji alive and next to him again. His eyelids began to get heavy as he felt himself at peace once more.  _ Why do I feel like this only around this weirdo?  _ he wondered. Feeling the weight of his exhaustion, he leaned his body to rest on hers. 

Hanji froze in alarm from the sudden invasion of personal space, especially by Levi, who seemed to avoid touch as much as possible. She listened with discomfort as Levi took an inhale of her scent. Puzzled, she looked down at him with a confused look.  _ Doesn't he hate my smell? _ she thought.

Although it was true that Hanji had poor hygiene habits due to her busy schedule with research, her smell wasn't in Levi's personal opinion  _ that bad _ . He had realized that she often smelled of sweat, oil, dirt, and dust that had built up between her bathing sessions. But deep down, there was an aroma she produced that he was drawn to. He couldn't quite put his finger on it. It was earthy, the scent. Like that of the forest during a rain session. The smell of wet wood and grass. It was oddly comforting. It was much more apparent when she was clean, but he could still make it out even when she was desperately due for a bath. "Hanji, just stay like this for a bit," Levi murmured, the drowsiness increasing.

As Levi felt the sleep come over him, he subconsciously snuggled deeper into Hanji's warmth, breathing in her scent all the while. A memory of burying into his mother for comfort quickly flashed through his mind. He wondered if Hanji made him feel safe too and thought for a moment how grateful he was that she was ok.  _ I should say something to her, _ Levi thought groggily. 

Meanwhile, Hanji caught Mike's eye from across the fire. He gave her a knowing look, causing her to blush.  _ Is Levi really that relieved to see me? _ she wondered to herself.  _ He doesn't seem to show how much he cares...but maybe that's just how he is...he probably didn't mean what he said about not being friends... _

Mike nudged Erwin and indicated towards their direction. "So what's the deal with Levi and Hanji?" Mike asked. 

"What about them?" Erwin asked, distractedly inspecting his ODM gear for any defects. He looked up over to where Mike was pointing. "Oh that. Those two seem to be soft on each other..."

Mike nodded and smiled. "You know what's funny? This hard head ranted to me about how he refused to sleep around us because he didn't trust us and blah blah blah." Mike paused to scratch his chin. "Yet here he is sleeping like a baby next to Hanji. Heh. Poor thing looks too afraid to move."

"Levi is not one to show physical affection towards anyone," Erwin commented. "I think this is a good start. With his background, he definitely needs this. And I think she's going to be the one to open up that part of him."

"I think he's only going to be that way with her, though," Mike added. 

"Yeah, well," Erwin dismissed the subject. "Better than nobody at all."

Levi remained tucked into Hanji's side, wondering what those words were that Hanji had mentioned to him on their last expedition. He wanted to tell her the same so that she would understand his regret from saying those horrible words earlier.  _ Oh, I remember now _ , Levi recalled. 

"Hanji," Levi murmured sleepily into her arm. Hanji almost didn't hear him over the crackle of the fire if it weren't for her watching him so intently, trying to figure out his motives from leaning on her.

"What?" she answered just as quietly.

"I'm glad...." he paused with hesitation. "I'm glad you're still here with me." He turned his head deeper into her arm to hide his embarrassed face. 

Hanji, on the other hand, brightened at the words he spoke to her. She remembered that she had said the exact same thing to him the day she lost some of her squad. She glanced down to find Levi hiding his face and almost burst into laughter. He resembled an ostrich burying its head in the ground in fear. She didn't take Levi as a shy person. He had such a strong and assertive personality that she would never have considered him that way.  _ He really is a bashful person, _ Hanji thought.  _ Maybe that's why he has trouble expressing himself. _

She figured it would be best not to say anything to further humiliate Levi. Instead, she leaned her head on his for support and figured she'd get some sleep too. She shot both Mike and Erwin a cheeky look as they sniggered to themselves before closing her eyes and falling asleep. Together, they dreamed, waiting for the light of daybreak.  


	5. Attraction

Some of the Survey Corps were in town within Wall Rose for the afternoon. They had visited for another supply run and some leisurely time off. Erwin was scheduled to meet with some of the Military Police, along with the King's council in Mitras, in order to announce Levi's new position as Captain. 

Levi wasn't exactly thrilled to say the least, as he sulked around, waiting for Erwin to give him the signal that it was time for them to leave to the inner city gates. Being paraded around as a popular public figure was not something Levi was looking forward to with this new position. He would have joined Erwin and Mike while meeting with some of the Military police leaders, but Levi figured Mike was enough of Erwin's right hand to accompany him. He thought about Hanji and how she was required to meet with the court as well. However, he had not seen her for the past few hours.  _ Where is that woman anyway? _ he thought. 

* * *

 

Hanji had made her way into one of the local bars that was popular with many of the soldiers. Although Erwin had asked Hanji to accompany him and the other senior members to the meeting inside the inner gates, Hanji felt somewhat reluctant. Usually, during these events, it was required that she dress up more formally. Hanji pleaded with Erwin until he finally gave in to her request to wear military attire.

She remembered reasoning with Erwin that it was unfair if the men in the Survey Corps were allowed to wear their long military coats and women were required to wear formal dresses or gowns. Although Hanji was a woman, she didn't feel comfortable wearing frilly attire and having old men give her unwanted advances. 

Hanji approached the bar and asked for a glass of wine. Once she received her drink, Hanji's attention was drawn to some laughter coming from a group of women nearby. She looked over at the noisy table and recognized the Survey Corps brown jackets. "Oi Hanji san!" came a voice. It was Nifa, from her squad. "Come over here, maybe you can help us with something." Petra, who was sitting next to Nifa, elbowed her and hissed for her to be quiet. Her face was turning crimson. 

Intrigued, Hanji made her way to the table. "Afternoon!" she greeted as she took a seat next to Nifa. Hanji immediately recognized Petra as part of Levi's new squad and gave her a polite smile and nod. Nanaba, who was at a nearby table drinking, spotted Hanji and immediately gathered her drink and bounded over. "Ladies," she chirped. "May I join you? It looks like you're having fun!"

"So, Petra and I were just having a discussion," Nifa hiccupped. "About the handsome men in our Survey Corps." Petra sank down in her chair in embarrassment while Nanaba and Hanji laughed at Nifa's statement.

"I personally," Nifa continued, swirling the contents of her drink around in her glass. "Think that Erwin is the most handsome!" Nifa swung her arm around a thoroughly humiliated Petra. "Petra here, however...thinks otherwise. Would you like to tell our Squad leaders whom?"

"I...uh..." Petra stammered, still flustered and red in the face. "I think Levi Heichou is...quite handsome." She squeaked and covered her face with her hands. 

"Levi?" Nanaba asked confused. "I thought Auruo had a thing for you. Aren't you two-"

"Auruo and I aren't together!" Petra cried out, still embarrassed. "Besides, we're just talking about the men we think are handsome...not who we like right?"

"It's kind of the same thing Petra," Nifa added. She brought her attention back over to Hanji. "Anyway, Hanji san, the reason why I called you over is because I need your opinion."

Hanji stared at Nifa, confused. And at that very moment, the door to the bar opened. Unbeknownst to them, Levi walked in quietly and searched around. He spotted the female soldiers in the back and then took note of Hanji's ponytail. "There she is," he muttered. He began stepping closer to them quietly, not wanting to interrupt them but did want to remind Hanji about their meeting with Erwin. 

"Since you're close to Heichou, Hanji san," Nifa started again. "Do you agree with Petra? About Levi being handsome?"

Levi froze midstep, overhearing that question directed at Hanji. Feeling like he was eavesdropping on a forbidden conversation, Levi ducked into a nearby dark corner of the room.  _ Not creepy at all, _ Levi thought to himself sarcastically. 

"Levi? I don't know," Hanji admitted hesitantly. Hanji felt a blush coming on and stared down into her wine glass.

"Oh come on," Nanaba chided her. "You and Levi are always together. Do you find him attractive or not?"

"You know I don't bother to think about those things Nanaba," Hanji argued defensively. "Levi is Levi to me." 

Levi could feel his heart hammering in his chest, nervous sweat beginning to build on his brow.  _ Why is this making me so anxious? _ he wondered.  _ I should just interrupt them so I don't have to be hiding here like an idiot! _

Hanji was starting to feel cornered, not ready to admit the truth about how she saw Levi. It was true that she found him adorable and cute because of his height. However, in her private thoughts, Hanji sometimes found herself daydreaming about the intensity of Levi's eyes when he looked at her. They were sharp and alert with mysterious grey blue orbs. His sultry voice sometimes crossed her mind at night as she imagined him speaking in her ear. "I agree with Nifa that Erwin is quite handsome!" Hanji blurted, wanting to desperately change the subject.

Levi twitched at these words and felt his face warm in anger. "What the hell?" Levi breathed out quietly. "Erwin? Since when did she like that bastard?!" Levi glanced down to see a cockroach scurrying by his feet. Levi attempted to side step while at the same time, stomp on the creature when he lost his balance and fell down in a loud crash sending the insect scuttling away in terror.

The Survey Corps women looked around in surprise but were unable to see Levi, since he was still in the dark corner of the bar, out of sight to them. "Tch," Levi growled, clenching both of his fists in humiliation. "This is fucking ridiculous. This ends now!" He picked himself off the floor.

"Seriously Hanji?" Nanaba asked skeptically. "All the women in the Survey Corps fancy Erwin. It's a known fact."

"Well it's a known fact you fancy Mike," Hanji retorted smugly, reveling in Nanaba's flustered stupor. 

"I don't see what you see Petra," Nifa cut in, interrupting Hanji and Nanaba. "He's too short of a man to consider attractive. Plus, he's very cold and unfeeling!"

"Well..." Petra mused, "I guess you can be right on-"

"That's not true," Hanji interjected quietly. 

Levi, who was getting ready to stomp over, paused again in curiosity. 

"Levi may seem that way but it's not who he is truly." Hanji admitted. "Since I am close with him, like you guys say, I will tell you Levi may say things that make him seem cold and rude...but once you see the real him...it's impossible not to unsee that he's...very kind...even when he tries his best to hide it"

Levi felt his chest grow tighter as he took a quiet gasp of air, not knowing that he had held his breath the entire time she spoke.

"Hanji may have a point," Nanaba added reluctantly. "I used to think that little guy was a jerk too...until we had our first mission together." She smiled at Hanji. "He does seem to have a nice streak to him...but only towards-"

"Ah! I'll admit he's very attractive!" Hanji cried out, not wanting Nanaba to finish. 

"Oh really?" Nanaba teased. "What's your favorite thing about him...physically?"

"Um..." Hanji thought quickly, thinking. "His...uh....eyes!"

"His eyes?" Nifa questioned, bewildered. "They're so scary!"

"They can be," Hanji giggled, knowing she made the wrong choice. She was going to say his smile, but not everyone has seen it. And she didn't want to admit to them that he seemed to only grace her with his rare smiles. "But...when you look into them," Hanji continued, daydreaming about Levi's sharp and dangerous grey blue eyes. "There's much more to him that even he is willing to admit."

Hanji was surprised at the words she had just spoken. She had never admitted to anyone aloud, let alone herself her personal opinion on Levi's physical appearance.  _ Maybe I do like him _ , Hanji pondered until her eyes fell on Petra. She recalled Petra being the one to point out Levi’s attractiveness and realized that Petra had a crush on Levi.  _ She's really cute _ , Hanji admitted.  _ And actually smaller than Levi...maybe Levi has a thing for her too. _ Hanji made a note of this and decided to keep her feelings in check for the time being.

The other women regarded her in quiet thought. "Aww," Nifa cooed, blushing herself. "That was really swee-"

"Hanji," Levi called from behind her. All of them jumped at the sound of his voice. 

"Levi Heichou!" all but Hanji cried out in surprise. Hanji was used to having him sneak up on her. 

"Levi!" she greeted. "When..." she paused nervously. "When did you get here?"

"I just arrived," Levi lied, trying his best not to look embarrassed. "It's almost time for our meeting with Erwin."

"Ah, that's right!" Hanji admitted, hopping down from her chair. She turned to the other women. "I'll see you guys later!" Hanji called to them who were looking anywhere but at Levi's face. 

Hanji joined Levi at his side, exiting the bar. "You think it wise to be meeting with those nobles in a drunk state?" Levi asked coolly.

"I'm not drunk!" she cried defensively. "I only had one glass of wine...and I didn't even finish it." Levi continued to walk on in silence, too shy to even bring up the conversation that Hanji was having inside the bar. He searched his thoughts for another thing to say to her. But all he could focus on was her comment about him to the others, including the fact the Hanji found him attractive. 

_ It's not like she has a crush on me, right? _ Levi thought to himself.  _ That would be kind of weird _ .  _ Still... _ Levi played with the fact that Hanji found him attractive and it made him feel...pleased.  _ It's not like I haven't been liked before...Didn’t Petra say she liked me, too?  _ Levi thought deep and realized that he never really paid attention to that sort of thing. He realized that he never actually developed feelings for any woman either. He had been feeling some unfamiliar emotions towards Hanji that he never experienced before.  _ Do I find her attractive too?  _ he questioned himself.

"Levi?" Hanji asked, breaking his thoughts. Levi grunted in response. "I said," Hanji repeated. "Where are we meeting Erwin at?"

"At the entrance to Wall Sina." Levi answered, looking towards her. He noticed that she was wearing her normal soldier attire with her long coat. "Aren't you going to change into something more...suitable?"

Hanji snorted. "Suitable? You mean a dress?"

"That's what most women wear, yes." Levi replied. 

"I'd rather go like this if that's ok with you," Hanji snipped at him.

"Well it's not up to me, is it?" Levi replied with an amused tone. 

"If it were, would you want me to wear a dress?" Hanji asked curiously. 

Levi stopped in his tracks, having been thrown off by Hanji's words again. He thought about his answer for a moment before turning to observe her appearance. He looked her up and down for a few seconds, causing Hanji to recoil shyly. "This is the Hanji that I and everyone else knows," Levi finally concluded. He turned to continue walking. "I guess not." He hid his face from Hanji as images of her in feminine gowns filled his mind, causing his pulse to accelerate.  _ Damn, maybe I am attracted to her _ .

* * *

 

“May I present Levi,” Erwin announced, saluting his right fist against his chest. “Captain of the Survey Corps.”

Levi merely stood before the King and his Council, along with Nile Dalk from the Military Police. He observed them, nonplussed until Erwin cleared his throat. Levi’s eyes flicked up towards him and Erwin indicated towards his clenched fist with his eyes. Levi let out a quiet sigh before saluting, too. 

“Ah...isn’t this one of the three that you picked up from the Underground?” one of the councilmembers asked with insecurity.

“That’s right,” Erwin answered, releasing his salute. “That information was included in my report that I submitted for review.”

“Is it also true that he had been a constant problem in the Underground with the Military Police?” another councilmember asked, ignoring Erwin’s statement. 

“Indeed,” Nile agreed. “He and two other soldiers who were recruited to the Survey Corps were often found stirring trouble in the Underground.”

“Let it be known that this information has already been disclosed to all authorized personnel.” Erwin argued. “And that Levi and his comrades had their records sponged out by sacrificing their lives for the Survey Corps cause.”

“Very well,” one of the councilmembers dismissed. “Levi,” he addressed directly. “What makes you think that this position is fitted for you?”

“Because I was asked to fulfil it,” Levi answered boredly. 

“Although it is true that I asked Levi to take on this new position,” Erwin elaborated. “In my report, I have included all of Levi’s stats and accomplishments. You should have found it very impressive.”

The council regarded Levi with another look of disdain before another councilmember spoke up. “Well then Levi, we look forward to good things from you.” One of the men gave the signal to conclude the formal introduction and to proceed with the festivities. “Well that was a disaster,” Hanji muttered under her breath as she walked alongside Erwin, Mike, and Levi.

“Seeing as we’re all able to walk away to enjoy free wine and food,” Mike added. “I think it went rather well.”

Erwin smiled as he and Mike took off towards the tables full of wine glasses and plates of finger foods. Hanji moved to follow along before noticing Levi lingering behind. 

“You coming?” she asked.

“I just want to get this shit over with already,” Levi murmured irritably. He noticed Hanji’s hesitation to leave his side. “Go on,” he urged. Hanji gave him a frown before joining Erwin and Mike. 

“So, Levi,” a voice called, bringing Levi’s attention behind him. It was Nile from the Military Police. “How do you like being Captain of the Survey Corps?”

“The same how anyone enjoys being in the Survey Corps.” Levi answered dryly.

“Is that a complaint?” Nile threatened. “You may have Erwin and the rest of his cronies fooled, but I see right through you.”

“Do you now?” Levi replied, unimpressed. He began to walk away, not wanting to stir a fight.

“You should be grateful for the life provided to you,” Nile continued. “If it weren’t for Erwin taking you in, you would be rotting away in the underground!”

Levi clenched his fists and whirled around to retort when he was beaten to it.

“Life provided?” Hanji scoffed, stepping to join Levi at his side. “You mean the one in which we honorably risk our lives defending humanity against the Titans? As opposed to your job, safely defending our inner city from people? Rats possibly? Am I right, Nile Dolt?” She gave a sly smile before popping a piece of cheese off her plate into her mouth.

Levi caught Hanji’s eye and couldn’t help but snigger.

“It’s Dalk,” Nile corrected angrily. He turned his head to glare at Hanji. “How dare you speak to a commanding officer in such a manner.”

“Commanding officer for the military police,” Hanji added, taking a sip of her wine glass. “We’re in the Survey Corps. Or did you forget that already? And I thought I was the one drunk on wine.”

“Hanji Zoe,” Nile sneered at her. “I didn’t recognize you at first. Shouldn’t you be dressed more flattering? Are you not a woman?”

“Funny,” Levi cut in. “I was going to say the same about you. I’m sure Ms. Zoe here didn’t want to wear a dress today in fear of outshining your femininity.”

Nile gritted his teeth before attempting to lash out once more. However, he was interrupted by Erwin.

“Ooook,” Erwin called, stepping in front of Hanji and Levi, gripping a shoulder each and steering them away from Nile. “That’s enough of that.” Erwin turned and nodded at a fuming Nile. As Hanji and Levi were being led away, Erwin murmured to them, “I swear you two are going to be the death of me. I hope this doesn’t cost us any of our funding.”

“Asshole deserved it,” Levi muttered, crossing his arms and weaving out of Erwin’s grip. “Now if you excuse me, I’m going to go take some of their black tea before we’re kicked out. That stuff is wasted on these pieces of shit, I swear.”

“Don’t worry about that,” Hanji offered, lifting her coat open slightly to reveal a metal tin. “I already stole whatever they had for you.”

Levi beamed at Hanji for a brief second before patting her back, urging her forward. “Well, I guess there’s no more reason to stay then. Shall we?”

The two of them walked ahead towards the exit talking softly with their heads both tilted attentively towards each other. Mike and Erwin were left trailing behind. They exchanged amused looks before joining after them. 

* * *

 

"Ugh, this is such bullshit," Levi growled as he squared off with Hanji. "Why do we need to practice this?" He circled around her, arms risen, preparing himself for her attack.

"Beats me," Hanji answered, cross stepping and circling around Levi. "It's not like the Titans can spar with us."

"You're the expert, Shitty Glasses," Levi teased. He faked a lunge at her, causing her to jump back. "Well?" he asked expectantly.

"What?" Hanji asked, dancing on her toes playfully from side to side. 

Levi smirked at her quirkiness and replied, "Aren't you going to gripe about your nicknames? You haven't given me shit for a while."

"Is that so?" Hanji asked, sprinting towards him and leaping at him like some wild cat pouncing on her prey. Levi ducked down and Hanji grabbed for his shoulders and playfully used her momentum to spring off his back like a game of Leapfrog. 

"What are we? Playing games?" Levi asked, amused. "And yes, that's so. How come you haven't given me shit about it?" Before he could turn fully around, Hanji pinned one of his arms behind his back while pulling the other backwards in an attempted submission. 

"Because," she grunted while straining to hold him while Levi smugly stood, waiting for her to give up. She was able to pull him closer to her so she leaned towards him. "I know why you do it."

Her voice tickled his ear and he flung his arm forward, sending Hanji staggering in the same direction. "Because you're a Shitty Four Eyes?" he asked, flustered by her actions.

She laughed before Levi flew at her, wrapping his arms around her waist in an attempt to flip backwards and have her land first. Instead of fighting him, she leaned her back into his chest flirtatiously, while turning to meet his eyes. Levi's eyes widened in surprise, loosening his grip. "I noticed that I'm not the only one who wears glasses around here," Hanji whispered as she took advantage of the loosened hold and slipped out of Levi's grasp. 

"Congratulations," Levi sneered, annoyed with himself that he let up on her, taking a few steps back to plan his next move. 

"Soo," Hanji huffed, catching her breath and wiping an arm across her brow. She stood with her hands proudly on her hips. "I'm the only one that you call names."

Levi tensed his stance. "What are you getting at, Four Eyes?" Levi turned his head away distractedly to watch as another soldier was sent flying by their sparring partner. 

Hanji took the opportunity to lunge at him and cross both of her arms around his neck from behind in a choke hold. "I'm saying," Hanji said through strained breaths. "it sounds an awful lot like a term of endearment to me." Levi's eyes opened wider. Then, they narrowed as he gritted his teeth and held on to her arms tightly, falling backwards and taking Hanji with him. She landed with an "oof" and the impact sent her goggles skidding away a few feet. 

"Ouch Levi," groaned Hanji. "You are heavier than you look!" 

WIth Levi's grip still on her arms, he forced them upwards and pinned them above her head while he turned around to straddle her hips with his. Levi looked down to make sure he had a good hold on Hanji as he spoke. "It's  _ not  _ a fucking term of endearment! I-" he halted as he looked to meet Hanji's eyes. 

Her glasses were off and her large brown eyes bore into him as she was oddly silent. Levi stared stupidly into her eyes as he couldn't recall when was the last time he looked into her eyes without her glasses on.  _ Especially this close, _ Levi gulped, feeling his mouth go dry. Hanji had developed a blush across her cheeks and Levi wondered about her reaction. He then considered their position. Here he was, straddling her hips and pinning her down while holding her hands above her head aggressively.  _ Shit! _ Levi thought, taking in how suggestive their position was. He immediately threw himself off her like a frightened cat. 

Levi began to straighten his cravat and cleared his throat, refusing to meet her eyes. "For the record Four Eyes," Levi said, turning to walk away. "That was my victory." His voice broke at the end like a teenage boy going through puberty and Levi walked away quickly. "What the hell was that, Levi?" he whispered to himself as he kept his eyes on the ground. 

Hanji, finally shaking the embarrassment she was feeling, picked herself up and bent down to grab her goggles, securing them back on her face. "That was...different," she whispered before returning back to the barracks.

Once in his room, Levi sat down with his head in his hands. His heart was still drumming in his chest.  _ I forgot _ ...Levi thought, taking calming breaths.  _ Those damn eyes of hers. _ Levi recalled all her expressions. From the warm way she smiled at him, to the twinkle in her eyes when she was on to some breaking discovery in her research. Even when she was angry at him, Levi found himself enraptured and that made it difficult to take his eyes off or her.

Where he came from, there was no time for that sort of thing. Having crushes on women and being in relationships was uncommon to him. And now, this eccentric woman comes along and totally caught Levi off guard, opening up emotions that were foreign to him.  _ Speaking of my past _ , Levi thought.  _ I think it's time I take a visit down there... _


	6. Attraction 2

The December air came and cast a chill onto the barracks. To help with morale, festive decorations were placed in honor of the holidays. Holly and pine wreaths were strewn along the corridors and candy canes were readily available to the soldiers in the Mess Hall. In honor of Christmas, the soldiers were given the opportunity to take time off to be with their families. Those who didn't have any families, or who preferred to stay at the barracks did just that. 

Erwin, Levi, and Hanji sat together in Erwin's office, sharing some tea and discussing their plans after the holidays were over. Erwin had planned on staying at the barracks. As did Hanji. Erwin knew Levi didn't have any family so he assumed Levi would be doing the same. 

"Actually," Levi corrected, sipping his tea quietly. "I'm going to be taking some time off."

"You are?" asked Erwin amazed. He was going to ask where and what he would be doing but he knew that would be prying into Levi's affairs. Instead, since Hanji was curiously watching them, Erwin asked with a sly smile, "Say Levi, isn't your birthday on Christmas?" 

Levi took a pause while sipping his tea, his eyes glaring at Erwin. "And?" he asked in a dangerous tone.

Before Erwin could answer, Hanji burst out, "I didn't know your birthday was on Christmas!" 

Erwin leaned back and smiled wider, catching Levi's eye. Levi continued to glare at him before flicking his eyes to meet Hanji's large, excited ones. "Well," Levi replied. "Now you know, Shitty Glasses."

"Christmas babies are very special!" Hanji beamed. "We should throw you a party! I could have-"

"No fucking parties!" Levi warned. He observed Hanji's look of surprise. "I don't celebrate my birthday," he added.

"But," she sputtered, trying to think of the words to convince him. 

"Don't bother Four Eyes," he said, picking himself up from his chair. "I won't be around for it anyway." He left the room, leaving a stunned Hanji and an unphased Erwin.

* * *

 

"Hanji san, are you sure this is ok?" Petra asked, helping decorate the conference room with colorful paper. 

"Of course it is," Hanji replied enthusiastically. "Once Levi gets back from his leave, I'm sure he'll be pleased to find that we still want to celebrate his birthday with him!"

"Oi," Auruo warned. "If he gets mad, you better take the rap for this Hanji San. Otherwise, we'll all get our asses handed to us."

"When did he leave anyway?" Gunther asked. 

"Just this morning, I think," Hanji replied. "So, he should be back in 2 days."

"Today's Christmas Eve, right?" Eld chimed in. "So, he'll be back the day after Christmas?"

"Right," Hanji confirmed, looking around at the box of supplies that she found for decorating. "Hmm," she thought aloud, hands on her hips. "Looks like we need more stuff. I'll probably have to go into town to get more things." Hanji looked up at Levi's squad appreciatively. "Thank you guys for all your help! If any of you are going into town to visit family, you're more than welcome to do so. Besides, this party won't take place until 2 days from now. I just wanted to get a head start and brief you on the plans."

Everyone took their leave and Hanji headed to her office to change into more comfortable civilian clothes before going down to the exit to take a carriage into town.  

Surprisingly, it was a warmer day so Hanji was able to leave the barracks in only a long sleeve collared shirt and some pants. However, she left her hair down instead of its usual ponytail. It was still in a bit of disarray, but she was too much in a rush to merely tie it up like she normally did. 

A carriage came to take Hanji into the nearby shops just outside of the entrance to Wall Sina. She had been there countless of times and knew of a nice shop that sold many party favors and decor for special events. 

Hanji was dropped off in the shopping center and she quickly made her way to find that shop she had seen before. She didn't frequent it very often, so she had trouble remembering its exact location. As she walked along the busy streets, looking left to right for any familiar signs, she noticed a soldier walking along the streets ahead of her. Normally, she wouldn't pay no mind, knowing that the Military Police often patrolled these streets. However, the brown jacket wasn't that of the Military Police, but rather the Survey Corps. 

She sped up in her pace to get a closer look, seeing as the soldier was on the shorter side. Her curiosity peaked when she recognized the raven black hair with the undercut.  _ Levi? _ Hanji wondered curiously.  _ Why is he in his military gear? It's supposed to be his day off... _

Hanji carefully followed behind Levi with enough distance so that he wouldn't notice her, especially in the crowd of people and all the different hiding spots she could duck behind. She noticed that he didn't seem particularly suspicious. It wasn't like he was trying to be sneaky, looking over his shoulder every couple of seconds or anything. However, he did seem determined to get to his destination. 

Hanji followed Levi until he approached the entrance to the tunnel leading to the Underground City just below Mitras. As Levi approached the men guarding the tunnel entrance, they immediately made room for him to pass, recognizing his Survey Corps gear. 

Once Levi had disappeared down the tunnel, Hanji approached the two guards. Hanji wasn't in her uniform, but always carried her military paperwork when in town, just in case she needed to identify herself. Hanji had never gone down into the Underground City nor knew the protocol on entering and exiting. She remembered there being a type of ‘toll’ to do so. However, after seeing Levi enter with no type of exchange, she wondered if she could pass with no problem just by showing her documentation. 

Puffing out her chest confidently, Hanji strode towards the guards, who regarding Hanji with a stern look. 

"Can we help you?" one of the guards asked.

"Yes," Hanji answered, reaching into her pocket to pull out her identification papers. She handed them to the nearest guard, who took them from her. "Hanji Zoe of the Survey Corps. I need to access the Underground City."

"Survey Corps, huh?" The guard asked, looking over her paperwork and then handing them back to her. "One of your buddies just came through here a moment ago." He eyed her a bit suspiciously. "How come you're not in your uniform?"

"I, uh," Hanji answered. "I'm on classified undercover business."

The guards shared a glance before moving out of Hanji's way. "Proceed."

Hanji thanked them and strolled past, entering the dark tunnel. Even though there were many torches lighting the way, it was very difficult to see in front of her. She listened carefully and strained her eyes to see if Levi was ahead of her. Unable to see anyone, Hanji continued to walk nervously until she saw more light towards the end of the tunnel. She approached a large opening revealing a large pathway descending down into the city below. Hanji paused and looked on in awe as she noted that it looked like any other town she had been to. However, the place definitely seemed to be more...dilapidated. 

There were many buildings and structures, some showing major signs of wear. There were torches lit everywhere because it was so dark. The only natural light that came down into the city was from openings in the earthy ceiling that allows light to spill onto the city below. Hanji shook her head, refocusing on why she was there in the first place and headed down the path. From her vantage point, she was able to spot Levi walking down one of the main streets. Hanji rushed quickly to catch up as to not lose sight of him. 

* * *

 

Levi navigated through the dark and dirty roads and grimaced at the filth. He knew these streets very well, having run them a long time ago.  _ Such rough times _ , Levi remembered. However, he was still able to recall those memories with a bit of fondness. He continued forward and noticed while living in a poor city such as this, some people still managed to put up decorations for the Christmas holiday. Even though it was such a desolate place, Levi recalled that families still lived here. Parents struggled to survive to make the best of what they had for their children.

Levi recalled his mother in his mind. She looked just like him, only her hair was much more longer and fuller. Her eyes were the same color, but were large, beautiful, and full of warmth. Unlike his. Levi's eyes reflected those of one coming from a harsh lifestyle. He had trained his face to reflect no emotion. It was a weakness, and he couldn't afford to show any sign of that while living down here. 

He finally paused outside of the building that used to be the brothel where his mother worked. It looked run down, but it looked like they were still in business. Levi frowned, considering taking back his decision to enter. He took a deep breath and proceeded to finally enter, pushing open the heavy wooden door to find a slob of a man sitting behind a podium. 

"Ahh," the man mused, his voice sounding rough like that of a heavy smoker. "A Survey Corps soldier, eh?" He chuckled. "I guess you guys need ways to unwind as well?"

Levi gave the man an angry look before approaching him. 

"What can I do for you, eh?" the man asked, opening his book of appointments. "Tell you what, since you're from the military, I'll even throw in a discount."

Levi stopped in front of the man, seriously considering punching him in the face. "Room 12," Levi muttered quietly. 

"Room 12, eh?" the man asked, flipping through his large book. "You remember the room number but not the bitch's name, huh?"

Levi clenched his fists angrily. He kept his anger under control because if he reacted, he would ruin his plans. 

"Looks like that's the room of Jade." the man replied, tracing his fat finger across the room number to the name. "That'll normally cost you $50 bucks, but like I mentioned earlier. I'll give you a discount. So, for you, $40."

"Tch," Levi handed the man the money while gracing him another disgusted look. Levi entered the familiar corridors and made his way down to the room he remembered long ago. The stench of alcohol, perfume, cologne, and bodily fluids filled the air and Levi fought back the urge to gag. He had been so long away from this place that he had forgotten how repulsive the smells were. 

He stood facing the room with hesitation. Memories of his mother and her decaying body plagued his mind as he remained frozen on the spot. Remembering his purpose, he knocked on the door. 

"Come in," a sultry voice called from behind the door. Levi cleared his face of his emotion before opening the door and entering the room. Inside, he found a fair skinned, curvaceous woman with wavy blonde hair laying seductively on the bed with a very suggestive lavender dress. Her sapphire eyes widened in surprise when she noticed his uniform. "Well well," Jade purred, stretching provocatively. "The Wings of Freedom! Haven't seen one of your kind around here for awhile!" Levi looked into her eyes and noticed like his, she did a good job hiding her pain.

"I'm not here for that kind of service," Levi stated quietly, looking at the woman and imagining his mother laying there in her place. He noticed a chair in the room and went to go sit down. He began to look around in sad nostalgia before being disturbed by the woman standing up. 

Jade approached him with a seductive shay shay of her hips. "Are you sure, Honey?" she purred. "I can make it worth your while." She placed both her hands on his cheeks and Levi immediately pulled away, taking the woman's hands in his gently and pushing them off of him. "I said no, didn't you hear me?" he warned. Normally, Levi would be much more harsh but he took pity for the women who worked here. 

She stepped back, put off by Levi's actions. "Then what the heck did you come here for? A conversation?"

Levi met her eyes. "No," he said quietly. He began to look around again, memories flooding in. "I just want to sit here for a bit."

Jade began feeling anxious at Levi's odd behavior. "L-listen you, if you plan on doing anything crazy with me then-"

"Someone I used to know," Levi interrupted calmly. "Someone...dear to me...used to stay in this room."

Jade relaxed and suddenly felt a pang of pity for the sad soldier who sat in front of her. She backed up to her bed and sat down to observe him. 

"Did I?" she finally asked. "Do you think I knew her?"

Levi glanced at the woman, taking in her beautiful, but worn appearance. However, he was able to note that she was still very young. "I don't think so. It was a long time ago."

Jade's eyes softened at Levi's pained look. "I guess it's alright if you stay here for a bit. Can I get you something to drink?" 

Levi shook his head while looking at the floor.

"Ok Hon, well let me know if you need anything from me," she assured warmly and decided to lie back on her bed to give the soldier some time to do whatever he needed to do. 

Levi sat there for what seemed like hours. He had completely lost track of time as the ghostly visions of his lovely mother walked about the room. Levi saw the small version of himself following after her devotedly. Painful, yet cherished memories filled his mind as Levi fought back the urge to let loose some tears. 

* * *

 

Hanji hid amongst some large garbage bins across the street of the brothel. She had been waiting there for almost an hour waiting to see if Levi would come back out. She noted all the men that came from the building, all leaving with satisfied looks on their faces, their hair disheveled from when they first entered, adjusting their waist belts as they walked away. 

Realization hit Hanji and she blushed at the thought of Levi entering that building.  _ Geez, I didn't take him for the type to seek female company like this, _ she thought. As she considered the option that maybe Levi may have exited from another way, she slowly made her way from her hiding spot. However, the door opened once more and Hanji dove back behind the garbage containers to see that Levi had exited. 

Anxiously, Hanji looked over Levi to find that he was just as clean and neat as when he entered. She blew out a sigh of relief, confused on how constricted her throat felt.  _ Why am I feeling jealous? _ she wondered.  _ It's not like I'm his girlfriend who caught him cheating or something _ . Hanji chuckled to herself as the feeling disappeared to the back of her mind. Instead, she watched as Levi walked away deeper into the dark streets. Hanji left her hiding spot and watched him leave. She considered following after him but then turned to the brothel.  _ If he didn't come here for their services...then why did he come here? _ Hanji then summed up her courage and entered the facility. 

* * *

 

Levi made his way through the streets, ignoring the passersby who gave him dirty looks upon seeing his uniform. He was amused at the thought that he was looked upon with more respect when he was just a brat down here. As a high ranking soldier, he was regarded with more of a hostility. Only the children seemed to regard him with admiration as they gawked at him. 

Levi made his way towards the part of town that had small, run down apartments. He made his way through the winding roads by memory until he stood before some stairs leading to the apartment he once called home with Farlan and Isabel. Levi looked on fondly as he recalled the visions of himself sitting outside on the steps with his old friends. 

As he stood there, looking up at the familiar door, he noticed a lot of the local tenants looking out at him from their windows nervously. Levi realized his presence there probably made them fearful so he backed off and began walking back towards the main part of the town. As he walked with his hands in his pockets, Levi mentally said his goodbyes to his past loved ones and hoped that if they were in such a place as the afterlife, they looked upon him with proud, fond faces. 

He walked back towards the direction of the brothel but stopped to gather his thoughts. He wanted to stay here longer, possibly get a hotel to stay in, but he hadn't prepared any of his things. He used his ODM gear to launch himself atop one of the larger, pillar like buildings. As he rested himself against the anchoring lines, he observed the city with nostalgia. 

A sudden crash interrupted his thoughts and Levi instinctively braced himself. Being in this city, one could never let their guard down. However, in this case, it was never due to a Titan attack, but rather some scuffle from nearby people. The city had been oddly quiet today so Levi curiously made his way towards the noise to see if some punk kid like he once was, was causing the commotion. 

The scuffle grew louder and louder as Levi approached an alleyway nearby. 

"Agh! For fuck's sake, can one of you grab her already?!" a harsh voice yelled. 

"Bitch! You think you can come down here and fuck with the way we do things?!" came another voice. 

Levi turned the corner to see a group of men cornering a woman who was aggressively fighting back.  _ An uneven fight, huh?  _ Levi thought.  _ I guess I better step in for this one _ . 

Eventually, whoever was fighting back was grabbed by one of the men, forcing her against a wall to stop her movements. "If you want to try and stop our fun, then we'll have some fun with you instead." he sneered into her ear. 

"Oi," Levi called, approaching the group of men. 

"What the fuck do you want, you runt?" one of the men snapped at him, taking a quick moment to regard his attire. "You're not the Military Police, this isn't your business. We don't give a shit if you're Survey Corps or not."

"Survey Corps?" the woman heard and strained to turn her head around to see her savior. "Levi!" she cried in surprise.

Levi's eyes opened in shock when he recognized the woman although she looked...different. He couldn't put his finger on it. "Hanji?" he croaked out. 

"Heh," Hanji halfheartedly chuckled. "I chose a bad time to forget my ODM gear."

Once the initial shock wore off, Levi narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth angrily. Seeing Hanji in that predicament enraged him. He charged at the men, immediately sending the first three to the ground before putting his hands on the one who restrained Hanji. 

The man released her right away and put his hands up, backing away. "Hey man, I don't want any-" Levi's fist came smashing into the man's mouth before he could continue. Hanji was nursing her shoulder that had been strained while being pinned against the wall. Levi regarded the men who lied on the ground groaning.  _ Shit, I can't kill them, _ Levi thought with disappointment.  _ But I have to leave before this becomes a bigger scene and the Military Police get involved. _ He looked over at Hanji. Although confused with a thousand questions on why she was even down here in the first place, he grabbed her by the waist and ordered her to hold on. 

Hanji obliged instantly and Levi shot out his ODM gear, maneuvering them out of the dark alleyway, and further towards the inner part of the city. Hanji looked up at Levi, who kept his eyes searching for a safe place to land. She watched as his bangs blew in the wind and smiled at his stern, yet handsome face. She was flooded with relief, happy that Levi was there to save her. "I had them, you know," Hanji teased. 

"Shut up," Levi replied shortly, still concentrating on where to go. He spotted a familiar establishment and made his way towards it. He released his lines and carried Hanji in his arms before landing so that she didn't touch down incorrectly and injure herself. Too shy to look into her eyes while she was this close, he released her once he landed. "Inside," he ordered. "Now."

Levi walked in with Hanji behind him. A burly man who stood behind the bar counter regarded them the moment they entered. He took a brief pause while wiping the counter to observe Levi and his gear. "Survey Corps, eh?" he chuckled. "What can I...Hey!" he exclaimed. "I know you!!"

Levi stiffened at his accusation. 

"You're that punk that used to zip around here on those there things!" he said, pointing to Levi's ODM gear. "It was you and those other two brats!" Levi smirked at him.

"Aah. Long time no see Joe," Levi greeted, relaxing upon recognizing the old bartender from the past. "But this time," he said, showing off his ODM gear. "I own these legitimately. Survey Corps standard issue." 

The man looked over Levi's shoulder to see the woman that followed behind him. "Who's your pretty friend?" he teased, watching Hanji reach to touch some antique glassware he had. "Don't touch that!"

Hanji winced and retreated her arm as she stood at attention to face the man and Levi, who seemed to have forgotten about her. Levi immediately stepped towards her. "Are you hurt?" he asked, looking her over. He took notice of her face and now knew why she had appeared different to him. He realized, with surprise, that Hanji was wearing makeup. Her eyelids had on a golden eyeshadow that brought out the brown color of her irises even more. Her eyelashes seemed to be curled and coated in a black mascara. Once Levi was able to tear his eyes from hers, he looked slightly to her blush colored cheeks and then down to the ridiculously red color of her lips, pronouncing their poutiness. "What....are you wearing?" he asked, bewildered. 

"Oh!" Hanji piped once she realized Levi was referring to her face instead of her clothes. "Makeup!"

"Why...wait!" Levi snapped, grabbing her by the shoulders firmly. "Why are you even down here in the first place?!" He searched her eyes and spoke before she could answer. "Were you following me?" he asked, growing furious at the thought of her doing just that. 

"Yes," she confessed, hanging her head sheepishly. Levi let her go and growled, stomping away. 

"How dare you!" Levi scolded her. "This is my personal business why I'm down here! I can't believe you wouldn't resp-"

"I was concerned about you," Hanji answered quietly. 

"Huh?" Levi asked, turning around to face her. "Concerned?" he repeated, confused on the notion that someone could actually be worried about him. No one ever worried for his well being. He was Levi, for goodness sake.

"I was in town doing some shopping when I saw you make your way to the Underground Tunnel." Hanji explained. "I just wanted to make sure you were OK by yourself."

Levi gazed at her in amazement.  _ What’s with this woman... _ Levi thought, feeling his cheeks warm. He considered what to say in return when the bartender burst out laughing hysterically. 

"Ha!! Worried?!" the man bellowed between his laughter. "Lady, do you even know who this man is?"

Before Hanji could answer, the man continued. "This is Levi, the punk kid who used to run around with 2 other brats causing mischief with their stolen ODM gear!"

Levi's eyes widened in horror as the words left the man's mouth. He didn't want Hanji to hear about his past down here in fear that she would be disgusted with him.  _ She'll never accept me once she learns the truth _ , Levi thought in fear. However, part of him was curious to see how Hanji would handle the information. 

"This guy used to go around stealing from nearby shops! Even as a little runt, he was out there beating the crap outta poor saps like me!" the man continued to laugh. "He did whatever he had to do to survive down here, damn nuisance! There's no reason to worry about trash like him." The man wiped a tear from his eye from laughing so much. 

Hanji turned her attention to Levi, who turned his head away in shame. She scowled at the man called Joe. "Shut your mouth," she murmured. 

"Eh?" the man asked confused. 

"I said Shut Your Stupid Mouth!" Hanji said, her voice now louder. "Levi is not trash! You can't even comprehend half the man he is!" she turned towards Levi, who averted his eyes in humiliation. She smiled at him warmly. "It doesn't matter what he did down here. If he was trying to survive, then he was just trying to survive. He does the same thing now! The difference is, he's not only fighting for himself, but  _ everyone's  _ survival!" 

Levi looked up slowly at Hanji, trying to grasp the things she said about him.

"If this is what Levi did down here, then I'm glad! It just helped shape him into the strong person that he is today!" Hanji continued to praise him. She strided over to Levi and threw an arm around his shoulders, giving him a light squeeze. Levi stared at her in shock as she turned to regard the bartender. "Nothing you can tell me about him can dissuade my perception of him! Despite his upbringing, he's a good man and also Humanity's Strongest Soldier!" Hanji turned and planted a quick kiss on Levi's forehead.

Levi turned scarlet in embarrassment and pushed Hanji off. "What the fuck Four Eyes?!" he growled at her. He rubbed at his forehead with his hand and noticed the red lipstick on it. "Tch!"

"Oops!" Hanji cried, giggling. "Sorry Levi. I forgot."

"Go wash that shit off your face, idiot!" Levi ordered, continuing to wipe the lipstick off, his face mirroring its color. Hanji merely nodded with a smile and made her way to the restroom on the other end of the bar.

Levi glared at her, still blushing. He dangerously met the eyes of the bartender as if daring him to say something funny.

"Boy," Joe finally said wiping down some glasses in front of him. "You really made something of yourself Levi." 

"Why do you say that?" Levi asked apprehensively, expecting the man to throw some joke at him.

"Humanity's Strongest, Eh? Also, for you to make friends like that." the man answered. "She's a soldier like you too right?"

"Aah," Levi answered.

"I can tell from the way she talks." the man mused. "Anyway, she's very loyal to you. That's nice. Are all your friends like that?"

Levi was taken aback. He searched his mind and realized that there wasn't.  _ Just her, _ he admitted to himself, a smile playing at his lips. Not wanting to answer, Levi was relieved when Hanji came out of the restroom just in time. Also, her face was back to normal. He regarded Joe one last time. "We need to go. I'll see you around."

"Take care of yourself. I didn't mean anything by that trash comment," the man replied. He waved at Hanji too. "Do your best with those Titans!" 

Hanji smiled and gave a nod before rushing out the door to follow Levi.

* * *

 

"Uwa, this city is so large!" she exclaimed, walking alongside Levi. "I don't even remember how to get back!" 

"You could always follow me," Levi suggested with a dry sense of humor. Hanji laughed. "Seriously, idiot. How could you miss the large ascending pathway back up to the surface?" he teased. Hanji shrugged and continued to walk in silence alongside Levi, taking in her surroundings.

"Repulsive, isn't it?" Levi asked, assuming that's what she was thinking.

"I think it's wonderful," she replied.

"Are you stupid?" Levi retorted, giving her a questionable look. 

"No really!" Hanji answered. "This city is a result of mankind's resistance to being eaten by the Titans!" she gestured around her. "This city would be perfect, if more funds were moved to maintain and improve this place!"

"If all the walls were to fall, this place would be the only area to survive!" Hanji added. "Titans can't survive down here. But the people...these people down here are very resilient and survive each day. Places like this...are what produce people...like you." Hanji smiled at Levi, who found himself staring at Hanji in awe. He averted his gaze the moment she gave him an adoring smile, feeling shy. His stomach began to feel strange and Levi thought,  _ There it goes again. This feeling...I only get this when around her. _

She spotted the path to the surface and shouted excitedly. "There it is!" she pointed and grabbed Levi's hand firmly, pulling him along. "Oi-Oi!" he cried. Levi stared at their joined hands in surprise but allowed himself to be strung along with her. He felt his heart beating fast as he gazed at her, running ahead of him. She turned and graced him with one of her bright smiles.  _ Crap,  _ he realized as recognition of his feelings hit him like a ton of bricks.  _ I think I have a thing for this strange woman... _


	7. Happy Christmas

Levi and Hanji sat in the carriage that took them back to the barracks. They faced each other in silence for a moment before Hanji asked, "Are you sure you want to come back already? I thought you didn't want to come home until the day after tomorrow?" 

"My business is done already," Levi assured. "There's no point in me being off any longer."

Hanji hung her head in disappointment. Due to the recent distraction, she was unable to buy the supplies for Levi's party, let alone a gift. Plus, some of Levi's squad had left for the holiday and wouldn't be back until the day after Christmas. She really wanted to surprise him for his birthday. 

Levi had continued to watch Hanji now that her eyes were off of him. His eyes lingered on her lips and remembered that earlier, they were painted red, a very tempting shade of red, if Levi thought so himself. 

"Four eyes," he called. Hanji looked up at him. "I know why you followed me," he continued. "What I don't understand is why you had that ridiculous makeup on."

"Well," Hanji stalled, embarrassed to answer. "I saw you enter that brothel earlier." Levi tensed, wondering if Hanji was going to start asking questions. "I was curious on whether or not, the place was actually one." Hanji explained. "So I went inside and met a very rude man. I've seen a brothel in the other cities aboveground and this place treated the women terribly. So I..." Hanji placed her arm behind her neck sheepishly. "I incapacitated the man temporarily and announced for the women to take the rest of the day off."

Levi gawked at her incredulously. "You...you're serious?"

"Yup!" Hanji admitted proudly. "I figured it would be nice to give those women a break. Some were so thankful, they insisted on giving me a makeover. Hehe. Guess they figured I was in desperate need of one, huh?"

Levi turned his attention to his clasped hands in front of him. He remembered seeing Hanji's face with the makeup on and although she looked very nice, Levi preferred Hanji in her natural state, messy hair and all. His feelings for Hanji hadn't developed due to her physical appearance, although he would be lying if he said he didn't find her absolutely beautiful. What really drew him to her was her character. She was so bold and unafraid to speak her mind, unlike Levi, who found ways to disguise his true intentions. Although she exhibited a more caring side, she was ferocious when provoked and a force to be reckoned with. "I think you look less shitty _without_ makeup," Levi admitted.  

"Eh?" Hanji asked. 

"I'm not repeating myself!" Levi growled, refusing to look at Hanji while the color rose in his cheeks. 

Hanji cleared her throat. "Anyway, some customers found out what I did and didn't take it very well," she concluded. "That's where you found me."

Levi smiled slightly at the floor.  _ You really are something else, _ he thought with admiration before he noticed the carriage had stopped and looked out the window. "We're home," he announced, standing up to exit the carriage. He extended his hand for Hanji's and she took it in surprise as he guided her down. Once on the ground, she smiled at the notion and followed the still bashful Levi inside as he scuttled forward quickly with his eyes trained purposely on the road in front of him.

It was dinner time when they returned to the barracks. Levi and Hanji decided to eat together inside the mostly barren dining hall. Majority of the soldiers had already eaten, or they were away for the holiday. Hanji stretched out after she was done eating. "Well, I'm thoroughly exhausted," she yawned. "I think I'll actually turn in for the night." 

"I'll do the same," Levi replied, clearing their table. "Goodnight Four Eyes."

"Goodnight," Hanji bade. "Thanks for the adventure."

Levi rolled his eyes at her and took their trays to the trash while Hanji made her way back to her room. 

* * *

 

Christmas morning had come. Levi groaned as the morning light spilled through his window and onto his face. He rolled over and slowly opened his eyes, straining to adjust them to the light. He stretched and took a look at the clock on the wall. It was morning, too early for breakfast. But early enough to get ready for the day. He yawned and gathered his belongings to take a shower. 

As he opened the door, he took a look downwards to find some brightly colored gifts adorning the floor in front of his office. Levi sighed.  _ That's right, _ he remembered with a wry smile.  _ It's my birthday today _ . He gathered his gifts and brought them inside. He saw some of the tags dangling down from the gifts. One was from Erwin, another from Mike. Levi set the gifts down on his desk and made a mental note to open them later. 

He went down to the kitchen to make himself some tea and toast. He found Erwin already in the kitchen preparing some coffee. "Good morning Levi," Erwin greeted cheerfully. Levi grunted, passing Erwin to get to the cabinet that housed the tea leaves. "Merry Christmas," Erwin added. "And Happy Birthday."

"Thanks," Levi replied, still a bit groggy. He started boiling some water over the stove. He looked over at Erwin, who was watching him with expectancy. "I received your gift...You shouldn't have."

Erwin barked out a laugh. "You're back earlier than expected. I thought you were going to be on leave until tomorrow."

"Change of plans," Levi answered, now searching for the bread to make his toast. "Is that a problem?"

"Not at all," Erwin replied, still cheery as ever. He pushed himself off the counter he was leaning on and made his way to the kitchen exit. "Enjoy the rest of your day!"

"Un," Levi said with a nod as the tea kettle had just started to whistle. 

After buttering his toast and preparing his tea just the way he liked, he sat down at the cafeteria by himself to enjoy the rare peace and quiet it held. He looked around the barren room and sighed contently at its rarity.  _ Finally some peace and quiet around this place, _ he hummed. 

* * *

 

Hanji took advantage of the time that she had Christmas morning. She grabbed her coat and headed out the door, praying that some of the shops would be open during the holiday. The carriage service would most likely be slow today so she headed towards the stables to prepare her horse. Then, she was off to town. 

The streets were mostly devoid of people, which Hanji took as a bad sign. No people meant nobody shopping, meaning most stores would not be open. She rode on until she found the shop that she had been searching for in the first place. Inside the window, Hanji was able to spot the brightly colored decorations. However, to her dismay, the shop was closed. Hanji hung her head and sighed, turning her horse around. She was in deep thought, wondering maybe she could just buy him a gift instead. Yet every shop was still closed.  _ I can't stay in town all day, _ Hanji thought to herself.  _ I need to get back and get that room ready for Levi's party! _

Hanji considered possibly coming back the next day to get the supplies. Problem was that she would be back on duty and might not be able to get clearance to leave again. With a heavy heart, Hanji decided to just head back to the barracks.

* * *

 

Levi had wandered out to the stables to check on his horse. He knew that there was someone in charge of their care, but seeing as it was Christmas AND his birthday, his horse also deserved some special attention. Levi approached the stable that housed his horse. "I come bearing gifts," Levi announced, holding out some carrots he took from the kitchen. Levi patted his horse's face affectionately and fed it one of the carrots. He glanced over to the stable nearest his horse and noticed that it was empty. Levi knew that Hanji's horse occupied that particular stable.  _ Did she take off? _ Levi thought curiously. 

Levi felt a sudden drop in his stomach.  _ Maybe she took the holiday off after all, _ he thought. Levi fed another carrot to his horse, disappointed on the thought that Hanji would not be present during his birthday. Sure, it was her first time finding out about his birthday, but Levi suddenly felt lonesome knowing that the chatterbox of a woman would not be there with him. Levi fed the last carrot to his horse before giving its neck a goodbye pat. Levi sulked his way back inside.  _ Damn Four Eyes could have let me know before disappearing on me. _

* * *

 

Hanji arrived back quickly to the barracks. She snuck inside unnoticed and made her way to her lab with "Plan B" in mind. Without any festive decorations to purchase, it looked like Hanji was going to have to improvise. With some paper that she found in her lab, Hanji grabbed some ink and started working fervorously on her decorations. Once she was finished, she gathered her creations, and made her way to the conference room that she had planned to have Levi's birthday party in. On her way down the halls, she spotted Moblit.

"Moblit?!" she cried excitedly. "I thought you were going to be out for the holiday!" 

"Buntaicho," Moblit greeted. "No, I decided to stay this time. Merry Christmas, Hanji san."

"Merry Christmas!" she beamed. Then, an idea came to her. "Oooh," Hanji squealed, her arms full of her creations. "This is great! Can you meet me in the conference room with your sketchpad? I could really use your help with something!"

"Of course, Hanji san," Moblit agreed and made his way back to his room. 

By the time he returned and opened the door to the conference room, Moblit froze and gaped at Hanji. She was standing atop one of the tables to put some of her decorations up. Hanji looked down at him and acknowledged, "Moblit, just in time." She noted the strange way he was observing the decor in the room. "What is it?"

"N-nothing," Moblit answered, shaking his head. He held out his sketchbook. "I brought what you needed."

"Great!" Hanji exclaimed, jumping down. "Let's get started!"

* * *

 

Levi was boredly walking down the halls, not having seen another person for a while. He figured that he could do some physical conditioning outside, but he needed to go change into some training gear at least. So, he made his way towards his room. As he walked along the empty corridors, he thought he saw Hanji turn the corner ahead of him. He rubbed his eyes and sped up, turning the corner to see that it was, in fact, Hanji walking with something in her hands. "Hanji?" he called.

Hanji jumped a mile in the air, crying out in surprise. Levi watched her in alarm. She was never this jumpy. Hanji quickly turned around with her hands purposely behind her back. Levi found his feet eagerly pulling himself towards her. "I thought you had left," he said, trying to hide his relief. However, the tone of his voice failed him.

"Left?" Hanji asked. "Wh-why would you think that?" Hanji tried shuffling backwards to get to her room. 

"Your horse wasn't in its stable this morning," Levi answered, getting suspicious. "What are you...?"

"Oh that!" Hanji cried. "I just took it out for a quick exercise." She began to scoot with more of an effort backwards. "Look Levi, I-I'm in the middle of something right now, so if you'll excuse me-" Hanji turned around quickly and began sprinting back towards her room, leaving behind a thoroughly confused Levi.  _ I didn't think it was possible for that woman to act any weirder,  _ Levi thought with his hands on his hips.

* * *

 

Hanji had just finished wrapping Levi's gift in some pretty paper and ribbon she had lying around her room. She placed it on top of her desk, admiring her handy work when the knock came at her door. She jumped and immediately stashed the gift under her desk in one of the drawers. "Come in!" she announced.

Levi opened the door. Hanji smiled, knowing he was going to come find her sooner or later. "Levi!" she greeted happily. "It's nice to see you! What do I owe-"

"We just saw each other in the hallway you Shitty Glasses," Levi interrupted, frustrated with her odd behavior. "What are you up to?"

"Nothing!" Hanji said, feigning innocence. "Just doing some work, taking advantage of the slow holiday. Oh! speaking of which, Merry Christmas!" 

Levi continued to regard her with suspicion. "Merry Christmas," he muttered. He began to walk around Hanji, noticing how she tensed with his presence and frowned. "You better not be planning any of your usual pranks on me."

He remembered with a twinge of irritation all the times Hanji attempted to prank him. From a rubber snake in his bed, to plastic spiders in his tea, the woman always found creative ways to piss him off. He didn't even want to recall all the jumpscares she attempted. However, despite all the annoyances he caused her, Levi was actually pleased with all the attention she gave him. She didn't seem to prank anyone else. In a sense, he felt  _ honored. _

"Moi?" Hanji asked nervously, spinning around in her seat to face him. She cleared her throat, thinking of a way to get Levi out of her room. "Hey, since it's Christmas, How about we head down to the kitchen so we can make ourselves some hot cocoa?" She folded her arms around the back of her chair and flashed him a smile. "Doesn't that sound nice?"

"Not really," Levi replied. He began to walk back to her door and turned. "But seeing as today is Christmas, I'll indulge you for the day." 

Hanji grinned wide and jumped up to join Levi. 

* * *

 

Hanji handed Levi a cup as he sat down on one of the plush chairs in the common area. He had lit the fire and it had grown enough to warm the entire room comfortably. Hanji threw herself on the chair next to him, her cup in hand. As she did this, Levi braced for her spilling her hot cocoa on the floor but it surprisingly stayed inside her cup. He took a sip of his, enjoying the sweet taste. 

"So," Hanji said. "Better than your boring tea?"

"Not by a long shot," Levi scoffed. "But it's not bad," he finished, giving her a smug grin. 

Hanji and Levi continued to drink their hot cocoa while warming themselves by the fire. Levi felt himself very relaxed, knowing that Hanji was there with him and had not gone away for the holiday. He wondered if she had any family. He thought, with a slight frown, that he really didn't know anything about this woman aside from her accomplishments and what she showed while at the Survey Corps. Levi started to feel a bit guilty. As a friend, he never really asked Hanji about herself. It never really occurred to him to do so.  _ But that's what friends do, right? _ he wondered.  _ They share things with one another _ .

"Oi," Levi said softly, setting his now empty cup down. "About the other day, when I went down to the Underground City."

Hanji gave Levi her full attention. He nervously clenched his fists before Hanji stopped him. "I already said you don't have to tell me anything."

"Yeah but didn't you also state that you would hear me out when the time came?" Levi asked her angrily.  _ Shit, this is hard enough to do without her interrupting. _

"I did," Hanji giggled, knowing that Levi was getting frustrated from trying to be intimate with her. "Go on."

"Tch. What the bartender said was true," Levi continued. "I had a rough life from a young age. I had lost my mom early, only to be raised by this man named Kenny. He pretty much taught me how to survive on my own down there, through any means possible."

"One day, he also abandoned me and I was alone. Eventually, I found Farlan and we formed a gang down there, stealing food, money, the like. But I liked to think we still had a bit of integrity as we helped others around us who were also less fortunate. Eventually, Isabelle joined us and we were complete. We had previously come across the ODM gear and we pretty much taught ourselves how to use it." Levi turned to look at Hanji with a knowing look. "That's what I call my formal training to answer your question from long ago." Hanji smiled at him, remembering she had intruded on him, Isabel, and Farlan that day to bombard him with questions.

"Anyway," Levi concluded. "It wasn't long before Erwin and the others found us and brought us to the Survey Corps. The rest you should already know." Levi turned to face Hanji, who was sipping the remainder of her cocoa. "What about you?" he asked hesitantly.

"Me?" Hanji practically sputtered, putting her cup down. She faced Levi, who noticed her cocoa had formed a mock moustache on her upper lip. Taking in how ridiculous she looked, he laughed and pushed her away playfully. Once he stopped laughing, he took in a breath and murmured softly, "How is it, that you can make me laugh so easily?" It wasn't an easy task and Levi knew it. The whole Survey Corps knew that. With the rough life Levi led, there wasn't much room for humor and laughter. Yet, Hanji had a way to breach Levi's emotional wall. Sure, she tried animatedly to find means to make him smile and laugh. Majority of her attempts failed, but it was when Hanji was just being herself, that Levi found her the most charming.

Hanji smiled and wiped her upper lip with her arm, knowing that was what made Levi laugh. She let her arm drape down the side of her chair lazily while she thought about what to tell Levi. Levi noticed her hesitation and broke the silence. "The same applies to you, you know."

"Hmm?" she asked dreamily. 

"What you said to me...also applies to you," Levi clarified. "Doesn't matter to me about your past. What you want to tell me in time, I'll be here to listen." He cleared his throat awkwardly and looked forward. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Hanji's hand still dangling and slowly he extended his left hand downwards. Levi had the strongest urge to feel her hand on his.  _ Happiness _ ...Levi considered.  _ Just being here with her...I actually feel happy. _ He nervously let his hand linger before courageously reaching for her fingers. 

A sudden burst of the entrance doors made both of them jump as Levi ripped his hand away. They both turned in their chairs and noted some soldiers walking in. Hanji squinted. "Hey, isn't that your squad?" she asked Levi. 

Levi confirmed the soldiers were part of his Special Operations unit and murmured in amusement. "Indeed it is."

"You guys are back early!" Hanji exclaimed, scrambling out of her chair. "I thought you guys weren't coming back until the day after tomorrow."

Levi gave her a suspicious look. "Wait, how do you know when my squad is supposed to return or not?"

"Because everyone is supposed to be off leave the day after Christmas, Levi," Hanji replied matter-of-factly.

Levi considered this before agreeing aloud. "I guess you're right."

"Levi Heichou!" Petra cried out. "Merry Christmas!" 

"Yes! Merry Christmas Heichou!" Auruo and Gunther exclaimed afterwards. 

"And to you too Hanji san!" Eld greeted politely. "Merry Christmas."

Hanji smiled and wished them a Merry Christmas with equal enthusiasm. Levi nodded and wished them a Merry Christmas as well. With a jerking motion, Hanji quickly went to grab both hers and Levi's cocoa mug and corralled Levi's Squad forward. "E-excuse me Levi!" Hanji called, forcing the soldiers to move forward. "I need to return these mugs back to the kitchen before we forget."

Levi's mouth opened to retort something but decided against it, slouching down in his chair with his hand over his face.  _ What is that Shitty Glasses up to?  _ he wondered exasperatedly. 

* * *

 

"I've already decorated the room for the party," Hanji said quietly to Levi's squad. 

"What time do you want us to meet, Hanji san?" Petra asked. Hanji paused to think. 

"Be there by 7pm. I'll lead Levi there around that time." Hanji answered. Her face fell a bit. "I wasn't able to provide much for the party planning. I had to improvise the decorations on my own, so don't be too harsh on me."

"Don't worry, Hanji san," Petra chirped. "We," she signaled to her and Auruo, "were able to provide a cake for Heichou while returning from town."

"There were actual stores open?" Hanji asked incredulously. 

"If you know where to look," Gunther grinned at her. "We all brought gifts for Levi Heichou as well."

"Splendid!" Hanji exclaimed, clasping her hands together. "I'll see you guys later then!"

* * *

 

Some time passed, but not by much. By the time that Levi's squad had arrived back to headquarters, it was already late in the day. The time had come for Levi's party to commence and Hanji had stopped by the conference room to drop off her gift so that when she went to retrieve Levi, he wouldn't suspect anything. Hanji smiled as she walked towards the conference room. She knew that Levi was very sharp and probably suspected Hanji was up to something.  _ Hopefully the surprise isn't ruined, _ Hanji thought as she opened the door to the conference room.

As she opened the door, Levi's squad inside tensed. "Easy, it's just me," Hanji assured. 

"Phew," Auruo breathed out. "We thought you had brought him already."

"I'm going to go do that now," Hanji replied. "So the next time this door opens, it will be Levi and I."

"Hanji san," Eld called, looking around the room anxiously. "These...decorations...are very unusual."

"Hey, I told you that I had to wing it on such short notice," Hanji answered, closing the door behind her. 

She headed towards Levi's room and knocked on the door. His voice came from the other side, granting her permission to come in. She peered behind the door with a smile. Levi was at his desk, arms folded, sulking. 

"Levi," she called, trying her best to sound as calm as possible.

"What is it, Four Eyes?" Levi growled. "First you abandon me and now you come back so sudden? What's going on?"

"I actually wanted to see if you could help me with something," Hanji replied, feeling a lack of confidence in her ability to keep secrets.

"Oh?" Levi replied, still annoyed at her. "Now you ask me for a favor? You've got some nerve Shitty Glasses."

"Hey, you said you'd indulge me for the day," Hanji pouted. Levi met her enlarged begging eyes and sighed. He got up from his desk muttering, "I guess it can't be helped." 

He walked over to her, eyeing her with suspicion. "Lead the way, then." Hanji grinned and bounded down the corridors, making her way to the conference room. Levi followed in silence before noticing that they were not on the way to Hanji's room or lab. "Oi, I thought we were going to your room."

"I never said I needed help in my room," Hanji replied nonchalantly. "We're almost there." They took a few steps forward before Levi was positioned in front of the conference room door. Levi scowled at Hanji. "Seriously? Here? What are you trying to pull-" With a grunt, he was forced through the door as Hanji had given him a rough shove forward. 

"Surprise!!" everyone inside the room cheered. "Happy Birthday Heichou!!"

Levi's eyebrows raised in surprise. He turned to look at a guilty Hanji and scowled once more. "You had to tell them, didn't you?" He sighed. "Erwin and his big mouth."

"Come sit down!" Petra said, gesturing to the chair at the end of the large table. Levi sighed and began walking forward. He began to observe the ribbons and paper that hung from the ceiling and adorned the main table. Instantly, he came to a halt. There were mini flags/banners hanging all around, all with crude drawings of himself.  _ Hanji, _ Levi thought with embarrassment as every paper had an ink doodle of his face, all scowling of course. The words "Happy Birthday" and "Merry Christmas" were also written in different color lettering. Hanji even managed to draw some Titans on some of the papers. Levi was slaying them, of course, and red ink was splashed unceremoniously throughout the papers.

Levi mustered all his control to keep from smiling. He couldn't believe the length that Hanji went to do this. Instead, he just cast his eyes down and made his way to the chair that Petra saved him. Once he sat down, he looked up at the adoring eyes of his squad. They were all smiling gleefully and Levi felt intensely bashful at the attention he was receiving. Auruo pushed the cake towards Levi and Hanji approached with candles and some matches. 

"No!" Levi cried, reaching the limit of how much he could take. "No candles, no singing...let's just enjoy the cake as it is."

Hanji smiled and put away the items. 

"Have some tea, Heichou," Eld offered, setting down a tea kettle with some tea cups. "Petra made it herself. And you know how Petra always makes the best cup of tea."

"No I don't!" Petra squeaked shyly. She smiled at Levi. "But I do hope it's to your liking Heichou." 

Levi poured everyone present a cup of tea, including himself while Gunther cut the cake and passed everyone a piece. Once everyone had eaten, everybody presented their presents to Levi. Levi felt himself sinking lower and lower in his chair in embarrassment. He almost dug himself a hole in the ground after Hanji passed him her gift. 

"Aren't you going to open your gifts, Heichou?" Auruo asked. 

"Thanks," Levi managed to get out. "But really...this is already too much and I wish to retire to my room already. I'll open them there." 

"Very well," Hanji agreed. "Happy birthday Levi! Merry Christmas and Good Night!" 

The others whooped and bade Levi the same. He began to gather his gifts with gratitude but had trouble holding all of them. "Oi," Levi called, looking towards Hanji. "Shitty Glasses, help me carry these back."

"Ah, ok," Hanji agreed, putting down some of the items she was already picking up to throw into the trash. She ran over to Levi and took some of the gifts in her arms. "Thank you for cleaning up for me!" Hanji called to Levi's Squad.

"It's the least we can do," Eld replied. "You did most of the decorating by yourself right?"

Hanji grew pink in the cheeks, feeling Levi's glare on her. 

* * *

 

Levi and Hanji placed the gifts atop Levi's desk. Hanji noticed the other gifts that were already present. "Who are these from?" Hanji asked curiously. 

"Mike and Erwin," Levi replied, pushing them to the side to make room for the others. 

"Well," Hanji said, feeling guilty about surprising Levi. "I hope tonight didn't make you feel too awkward."

"It did," he answered quickly and realized with dismay that Hanji was already making her way towards his door. "Oi oi," he called. "Don't you want to watch me open my gifts?"

"You..." she murmured. "Aren't upset with me? You don't mind if I'm here?"

"Mind?" Levi asked, surprised. "It's the least you can do since you put me through all this shit." 

Hanji shrugged her shoulders and turned to observe Levi open his gifts. He had received a new tin of rare tea leaves, assorted cleaning supplies, new cravats, cologne, and a variety of bath salts. He held Hanji's gift in his hand and looked up at Hanji's anxious eyes. "Looks like I saved the best for last," he said, giving her a slight smirk. Hanji smiled back at him and watched as he unwrapped the gift. Once he tore the paper and ribbon off, he stared at the frame that he held in his hand. Dumbfounded, Levi ran his hand across the framed portrait. Before him, there was a very detailed sketch of both himself and Hanji looking up at him. Hanji wore her smile and Levi, his usual emotionless stare. 

"When...did," Levi murmured in awe. 

"I had Moblit do it for me," Hanji admitted. She walked around the desk to admire the picture with Levi. Above the sketch of her and Levi were the words: Best Friends.

"Best friends, huh?" he said, his lips curving into a smile. He looked up at Hanji. "So how is that different than just 'friends'?"

"Well," Hanji began, thinking to herself. "To me, it means of all the friends one has, the best friend is the person you like being around the most." "I see," Levi uttered, struggling with a lack for better words. Feeling overwhelmed by gratitude for her, he hung his head. "Thanks." He summoned the courage to meet her eyes. "For everything..."

She smiled at him and placed her hand on his shoulder, giving it an affectionate squeeze.  _ She's good at that, _ thought Levi enviously.  _ Knowing when to touch someone... _ He didn't want her to leave yet. He gestured to his bed for her to have a seat. Hanji obliged and sat down on the foot of his bed. "What's up?" she asked. 

"I haven't given you your Christmas gift, yet," Levi admitted. 

"You already indulged me for the day, have you not?" Hanji questioned. 

"If that's the case, I do that everyday," Levi muttered to her. He seated himself next to her and Hanji began to feel a fluttering feeling in her stomach. "So," she squeaked, her voice sounding slightly shaky. "What's my gift?" She cleared her throat to ease her nerves.  _ Why would he need me on his bed to give me my gift? _ She questioned in panic but didn't want to jump to conclusions. 

Levi stared at his hands, which were hung over his knees. He squinted his eyes shut to collect his thoughts. "A long overdue answer." Hanji looked at him quizzically but waited for him to continue. Levi finally opened his eyes and stared into Hanji's. "About your stupid nicknames."

"You don't have to explain anything," Hanji reassured. 

"Would you ever let me talk without interrupting?" Levi snapped. Hanji nodded at him and Levi breathed out. "Geez. Anyway, you need to know that the other day one of those new recruits thought it was ok to refer to you in the same manner."

"Someone else called me Shitty Glasses?!" Hanji cried, feeling appalled. She covered her mouth instantly, realizing that she interrupted Levi again. She looked at him apologetically and he merely glared at her before continuing. "Aah. Poor bastard didn't see my kick coming." Levi tugged at his collar nervously. "Anyway, it got me thinking that only I am allowed to call you those names..." he stole a glance at Hanji. "And I kind of like that. So...it made me realize that those names that I call you are-what you said-terms of...Tch." Levi clenched his jaw, struggling.

"Endearment?" Hanji finished. Levi met her eyes, jaw relaxing. "Aah." He smiled at her. "You called them 'unflattering' names once. But you need to know that I don't mean them in that way. That's what 'best friends' do, right?"

"Are you sure you're ok with that?" Hanji asked, looking up while kicking her legs back and forth. "You told me that I forced you into this friendsh-"

"Do you really think I could be forced into anything?" Levi asked. "I joined this Survey Corps by choice, not just by Erwin's coercing." He graced her with one of his smiles. "The same with something as insane as being friends with you. If I didn't want you around...you would know." He paused to look at his hands once more, collecting his thoughts. "So...this whole best friend thing...same."

"Huh?" Hanji asked, confused. 

"The same goes for you, idiot," Levi admitted flustered. "Of all people to be around...I prefer your weird ass."

Hanji gave a satisfied smile and leaned towards Levi, nuzzling against his cheek. Levi's face turned beet red while stiffening. "Oi, what are you doing?"

"Sorry," Hanji apologized softly while ruffling his hair, causing Levi to grunt uncomfortably. "I just wanted to show you some affection. I know you don't like being touched."

She stood up and made her way to the door.  _ For you, I'll always make an exception, _ Levi thought as she walked away. She turned around and gave him a small wave. "Hope you enjoyed your birthday Levi!" Levi longed to tell her that he did  _ immensely _ . That because of her, he enjoyed almost every day. The only days that he didn't enjoy were those when he didn't see her at all. He longed to tell her that he was so thankful that she had chosen him to be her best friend. And that he was afraid to admit that he was starting to develop something more for her. 

But instead, he just nodded and let her close the door behind him without another word. 


	8. Notice Me

"So I'm hoping that by the next expedition, everyone should be properly trained on the new formation change," Erwin stated. He looked up from his desk and noticed that Levi was still standing in the same spot he saw him moments ago. He had one arm resting against the glass above his head while he peered out of Erwin's office window. He didn't even notice when Erwin called him. 

Instead, Levi’s attention was focused towards the ground floor outside. Hanji was crouched down, looking into some plants in front of the castle wall just below Erwin's window. She seemed to busy herself while she took notes on some of the greenery and some samples. Hanji was too distracted to notice a flustered looking soldier approach her from behind. She jumped to her feet when the soldier addressed her. As she turned around-

"Ah, so that's that what's distracting you," Erwin interrupted, jolting Levi to attention angrily. 

"What the fuck?" Levi snarled at Erwin, who was now looking outside at Hanji. Levi began to turn red, having been caught in the act of watching her. 

"Tch! I just wanted to see what Four Eyes found so interesting," Levi reasoned. Although it was partially true, Levi was mostly watching her because he had missed her. It had been a month after the holidays and Hanji had been very busy with her research. There hadn't been much quality time between them. He knew she didn't do it on purpose. And as a result of their distance, Levi's feelings for Hanji only grew having realized how lonely he was without her.

"Levi," Erwin calmly said, causing Levi to meet his gaze. "You really like Hanji, it's alright."

"Fuck off Er-" Levi began to protest, getting flustered again. 

"You're not the only one," Erwin said, jestering with his thumb towards the window. Levi hesitated, giving a skeptic look, before joining Erwin back at the window. Looking down again, he saw the soldier that had approached Hanji earlier, was completely red in the face. His hands had taken Hanji's and it looked like he was confessing his feelings. Levi's fists clenched at the sight of this until he saw Hanji take her hands away and putting them together in front of her in apology. She said something to the soldier and Levi and Erwin watched, unable to hear through the glass. The soldier eventually turned and hurriedly left back towards the barracks. 

"Erwin," Levi murmured darkly, still watching Hanji. "Who was that soldier?"

Erwin gave Levi a hesitant look and decided against telling him. "It doesn't matter." Levi glared at him until Erwin spoke again. "Hanji's too consumed by her research to recognize romance. I've seen many soldiers become smitten with her charm. Even I find myself enraptured by her-" he paused to see Levi shooting daggers at him through his cold piercing eyes. Erwin laughed. "I adore Hanji. She's a valuable asset to our cause but I see her like a younger sister. An annoying...younger sister who is...usually right, even when I don't like to admit she is." Erwin chuckled. 

"Is this necessary?" Levi growled. "Because if it's not, then I should-"

"It's not," Erwin admitted. "However," Erwin warned as Levi began to leave Erwin's office. "I'm just informing you that you're not the only one who cares for Hanji."

"Thanks for that," Levi breathed out sarcastically before leaving Erwin's office, the door shutting behind him. 

Levi stormed through the barracks, now in a foul mood. He headed to the training area to burn off some steam. He found some soldiers already engaged in some sparring training and decided to join in. Nothing fulfilled his masculinity more than taking down other men twice his size. 

Eventually, more soldiers came to practice, including some females. Hanji was amongst the soldiers, sparring with her fellow mates. Levi immediately noticed and felt the intense urge to have her eyes on him. As he sparred with his partners, he purposely grunted and growled louder than he usually did, in hopes that Hanji would hear and notice him. His efforts were to no avail as he continued to glance over towards her and found that she was already occupied with sparring against partners of her own. 

After flinging his last sparring partner forward in a heap, Levi looked up to find that Mike stood before him with a cocky grin on his face. “Care to take on me, little man?” he asked.

Levi stared back, unintimidated by Mike, even though he was practically twice his size. “Your big ass don’t scare me,” Levi warned. 

“I won’t take it easy on you,” Mike teased. “I took you down easily when we first found you and I can do it again.”

“Cut the chit chat,” Levi snarled. With an annoyed grimace towards Hanji, who still wasn’t paying him no mind, he took off his jacket and managed to rip off his shirt instead of merely tugging it off of him.  _ Dammit, _ Levi thought.  _ I liked that shirt. This shit better work _ . Mike hesitated, not sure what Levi was planning after the stunt he just pulled. He tried to see who Levi was looking at to cause him to do such a thing. However, Levi engaged him quickly.

It was a fierce battle, that seemed Mike had the upper hand the entire time. Levi was definitely strong, but since his life was not in danger, he did not use his full potential. With Mike’s size and strength, Levi was greatly outmatched. 

During their sparring, Mike noticed that Levi seemed to become distracted often, looking away from their match. During an attempted pin, Mike finally took a moment to notice the direction he kept looking and noticed Hanji. Mike opened his mouth in an “o” knowingly while Levi took advantage and flipped over, gripping Mike’s arms in a submissive hold. Mike smiled slightly and out of pure amusement, tapped out. Levi stood up, panting for air. Mike did the same and gave him a firm hand to the shoulder before walking away and murmuring, “interesting.”  

Levi paused to wipe some sweat from his forehead and flicked his eyes to the side where he last saw Hanji. She had actually stopped what she was doing and was watching him. Technically, all the females had stopped and decided to observe him. Levi's chest swelled as he beckoned to the next soldier to come at him. 

"Whoa," Nifa breathed, watching Levi. "Shorty is packing!"

"Right?" Nanaba agreed, giggling. "Who knew the little guy was built like that. Did you?" Nanaba nudged Hanji who turned pink. 

"No, of course not," Hanji denied, finally taking her eyes off of Levi. "Why would I?"

"I don't know, because you're close remember?" Nanaba reasoned. 

"Doesn't mean we take off our shirts around each other!" Hanji hissed. "Come on," she uged. "Let's get back to practice before we're scolded."

As Hanji resumed her sparring, Levi growled in annoyance and picked up his shirt and jacket. He stormed off, leaving a dumbfounded soldier, braced for combat. 

* * *

 

The next day, while running some drills with their ODM gear, Levi found that Hanji's team had been practicing nearby as well. He looked on while Hanji was teaching her team how to divert direction with easier tactics and different maneuvering skills. 

Purposely, Levi led his team closer towards hers to get a better view. "It's important you all learn similar tactics," Levi explained. "These maneuvers will come in handy when it comes to escaping Titans while in the forest." 

As he gained proximity to her, he tried to get Hanji's attention. "Oi Shi-"

"Did I do it right, Heichou?" Petra interrupted, landing in front of Levi. He snapped his attention away from Hanji and regarded Petra. 

"What?" he asked, caught off guard. "Y-yea. That was good, Petra."

Petra frowned as Levi turned his attention back towards Hanji, who still hadn't paid him any mind. Levi growled and addressed his team in the trees. 

"Watch me so you can grasp a better concept on how to do it!" he ordered, pleased to see that Hanji had finally broken her concentration to look at Levi. 

Levi launched himself confidently into the trees with his ODM lines and prepared himself to perform a demonstration for his team. As he made his way towards one of the targets, he changed direction with ease immediately to land on a nearby branch. 

"Heichou, look out!" came Abel's warning shout. Levi turned his attention to Abel's voice to see that with his trajectory, he was about to collide with him. Levi reacted quickly enough to avoid Hanji's squad member but wound up crossing lines with him. Both men cried out as Abel tumbled towards the ground. Levi, however, became tangled in the lines and went flying off of the branch he intended to land on. As he fell, the lines kept him suspended and Levi hung upside down from the branch like a bat, his cravat hanging down covering his mortified face. 

"Abel!" Hanji cried, running towards the fallen soldier. She inspected him for injury. "Are you hurt?"

Abel groaned. "I...I don't think so Hanji-san. I think my fall was cushioned."

Levi snarled as he fought to untangle himself, that unfamiliar jealousy rearing its ugly head again. "Don't worry," Levi snapped. "I'm fine!"

Hanji looked up towards Levi and noticed his ridiculous appearance. While everyone else watched on in horror, Hanji burst into a fit of laughter. Levi used his swords to free himself, landing gracefully on the ground. "Tch," he hissed. "My squad, let's move back to our original positions."

"I was wondering why you moved closer to my area." Hanji wondered, still giggling. "For safety reasons, we practice a good distance away from each other, you know that."

"Shut up," Levi muttered, stalking dejectedly away from her while his subordinates fretted over him, making sure he was ok.

* * *

 

A few days later, Hanji had finished eating lunch with her squad. Levi was watching her while considering his next actions.  _ How does Hanji do it so easily?  _ he thought.  _ She's able to demonstrate that she cares with no issue... _ Levi thought about ways of doing the same, but had no idea on how to go about doing so. 

When Hanji had stood up to turn in her tray, Levi took the opportunity to walk behind her and yank on her ponytail playfully. Unfortunately, it was a lot harder than he intended. Hanji's head jerked backwards and she cried out in pain and surprise. With her head back, she was able to see Levi behind her. "Levi?" she cried. "What did you do that for?"

Disappointed that it didn't have the desired effect, Levi scowled and muttered, "Your hair feels disgusting, go bathe." and walked away hurriedly. Hanji watched him with a bewildered expression while massaging the back of her head. "There's got to be a nicer way to tell me," Hanji murmured to herself. 

After bathing, Hanji was in her room drying her hair while looking over some reports that she needed to get turned in. A knock on the door prompted her to look up from what she was doing. "Come in," she called. Moblit came inside with some glass containers in his arms. "Buntaicho," he greeted. "I gathered up the specimens you collected earlier and have organized them into these glasses for easier observation."

"Excellent Moblit!" Hanji exclaimed, dropping her towel from her head and running over to collect the samples from him. "This is much better than the messy containers I had them in!" She placed the samples on her desk and began looking them over. Moblit rocked on his heels, not sure if Hanji wanted him to leave or not.  "Um...Hanji san?" he asked. She looked up and noticed his fidgeting. 

"Oh right!" Hanji said. "Please just wait a moment, Moblit," Hanji asked, going over her paperwork. "I need these papers turned into Erwin but haven't found the time to do so."

"DId you want me to deliver them for you?" Moblit offered. 

"If you can!" Hanji cried with gratitude. She paused sheepishly. "...along with taking these samples to my lab?"

Moblit smiled at her, "Of course Hanji san," he said and stepped towards her desk to collect the samples he brought, along with Hanji's reports that she needed delivered to Erwin. He bade her farewell and opened the door to find a surprised Levi standing outside in the hall. "Good afternoon, Levi Heichou!" he greeted before trotting off to see Erwin. 

Levi nodded while giving him an untrusting eye. As he stepped inside, his eyes fell upon Hanji. She was deeply engrossed in some paperwork in front of her. She didn’t even notice Levi stepping in. He frowned and called out her name to no avail. Now brooding, Levi stalked around Hanji and stood behind her, arms crossed. “Hanji!” he called. No reaction. Reaching the limit of his patience, Levi yanked the back of Hanji’s chair, tilting it so that she had no choice but to look up at Levi, who was glaring down at her. Momentarily stunned by his actions but most of all the intensity of his eyes, Hanji found herself at a loss for words as she blinked up at him. 

"You really do use that poor man as an errand boy, don't you?" Levi sympathized, letting her back down as her chair tilted forward, the front two legs touching down on the floor.

"It's not like that," Hanji said in her defense. "Moblit's just very helpful and knows I'm too busy to do certain things."

"Like bathe?" Levi quipped.

"No," Hanji replied. "You seem to be the only one that seems to force me to do that."

"Nobody should have to force anyone to bathe, that's the problem," Levi said with disgust. "That should come as instinct to most people!"

"Yeah well," Hanji admitted, dismissing the argument. "Apparently I have different instincts than everyone else." Hanji looked away, rubbing her head, remembering Levi's harsh reminder. 

Levi watched her quietly. "Your different instincts are what saved our asses sometimes." Hanji turned to look at him in surprise. "Just...bathe regularly ok?" Hanji smiled at Levi and he averted his gaze to some books stacked atop of her desk.

Hanji continued to observe him curiously before asking, “So, what’s with you lately?”

“Huh?” Levi asked, bringing his attention back to her.

“You’ve been acting strange lately,” Hanji clarified. “Everything alright?” She gave him a coy smile. “It’s almost as if you’re starved for attention or something…”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Levi denied, distracting his focus from Hanji once more. "Anyway," Levi said, shuffling his feet nervously. "I came here to ask if you could help me with some paper-"

"Buntaicho!" Moblit came bursting into Hanji's room throwing the door open and startling both Levi and Hanji. Moblit began panting in an attempt to catch his breath. "My apologies..." he huffed. "For not knocking...but your specimens Hanji san! You need to come see this!!"

Hanji nearly jumped over her desk and pushed past Levi. "Lead the way Moblit!" she cried as she followed Moblit out of the room. Levi watched Hanji with his mouth open, annoyed with having been plainly ignored. "Seriously?!" Levi growled.

* * *

 

Instead of waiting for Hanji to return, Levi made his way back to his office. It had been a few days since Levi had done any kind of cleaning to it and figured now was as good a time as any. Especially since Erwin had been making plans for the next mission beyond the walls, Levi wanted to make sure he had a clean room to come back to and one less thing to worry about. 

He dusted all surfaces he could get to, organized his desk, swept the floors, and even mopped. The whole process took him about an hour to finish. Once he was satisfied and all cleaning items had been put away in their proper place, Levi decided to seek Erwin's company since lately, Hanji didn't seem to have the time of day for him. 

Once Erwin gave him permission to enter, Levi took a seat across from Erwin's desk. They talked quietly about Erwin's upcoming plans amongst the other small talk they made. 

"Oh, by the way," Erwin mentioned. "I need to give you fair warning about something."

"What's that?" Levi asked. 

"Hanji has been on this research hypothesis lately," Erwin explained. "She just came in earlier, animate that we need to capture a live Titan."

"Have we done that before?" Levi asked curiously.

"Not while I was commander," Erwin replied. "However, the whole process is more costly than trying to kill one. I tried explaining that to Hanji but-"

"She didn't take it well," Levi finished for Erwin. "Why the warning, then?" 

"Hanji might ask some of the more skilled soldiers to help her capture one," Erwin warned. "You, most likely."

"And?" Levi asked, raising an eyebrow at Erwin. 

"I know anyone else she asks will decline without question," Erwin confessed. "But you..."

Levi scowled at Erwin. "What makes you think I'll agree to such a task?!" he growled. Then, he paused to think. "Dammit, don't start with this shit again Erw-"

"I'm just giving you fair warning," Erwin said calmingly. "I know you two are friends."

"Doesn't mean I'm going to disregard orders!" Levi argued defensively, standing up. 

"Levi," Erwin called authoritatively. 

"What?" Levi asked angrily.

"Keep a lookout for Hanji," Erwin requested. "After I declined her proposal, she stormed out in a bit of a rage. Make sure she's not out there...destroying things. You know how her temper can be..."

"Nothing my temper can't handle," Levi murmured. "Fine. I'll keep an eye out for Shitty Glasses and her path of destruction." He left the room and closed the door behind him.

* * *

 

Levi decided to see if Hanji was holed up in her room or her lab. Maybe with her being in such a bad mood, Levi figured she would be willing to have him console her in his own unique way. Either way, he just wanted some attention from her. He had been feeling neglected. 

Looking in both her rooms, Levi found that she wasn't there. He checked all the main areas of the barracks before he started to grow slightly concerned. After asking some of her own subordinates, they also confirmed that they had not seen Hanji around. Levi decided to search outside to make sure that Hanji hadn't done something stupid as in take her horse and go capture her own Titan. He passed the stables and noticed that her horse was still there. Levi thought for a moment and headed down the field towards the training area. 

As he crossed the field, he noticed something was on the ground. He got closer and realized that it was a body. Quickly, Levi dashed towards it, fearing the worst. He confirmed it was Hanji and Levi dropped to his knees to inspect her. However, her loud snore caused him to stop in his tracks.  _ Are you kidding me?! _ he thought incredulously.  _ She must have exhausted herself and fell asleep right here... _ Levi figured. 

Levi glanced upwards with one arm shielding his eyes from the sun and noted how bright it was today. He didn't know how long Hanji was lying in that spot for, but he didn't want her to get sunburned. He grabbed her jacket by the back of the collar and dragged her to the nearby shade of some trees. Levi took off his green cloak and set it down on the grass before pulling Hanji to rest on top of it. Levi considered leaving her there to rest, but felt a bit protective, seeing Hanji in such a vulnerable state. He sat down next to her and continued to gaze at her sleeping face. 

He smiled fondly when he saw how peaceful she looked. His eyes took in her parted lips and suddenly felt the urge to lick his own. He leaned forward, his face closer to Hanji's. He paused to look around. There wasn't anyone in sight at all. Levi stared at Hanji's lips and began to lean towards her again.  _ Crap, what the hell am I thinking?! _ he thought. He pulled away with a cry and threw himself backwards to lie down next to her on the grass. With his hands folded, resting on top of his chest, he took one more glance at Hanji before taking a nap next to her. 

* * *

 

Hanji awoke, confused. She sat up and looked around herself. She noticed the cranky captain and murmured, "Levi?" Her voice snapped Levi out of his light doze and he opened his eyes. "What..." she asked. "What am I doing out here?"

"How should I know?" Levi answered with a yawn. "This is how I found you."

"You went looking for me?" Hanji asked curiously. 

"I was asked to make sure you didn't go on some temper tantrum rampage," Levi answered boredly. 

"Erwin?" Hanji asked, even though she knew the answer already. 

"Aah," Levi replied, sitting up. He gripped his green cloak from one of the edges. "Now, if you're done stinking up my cloak, Four Eyes..." He effortlessly yanked it out from underneath Hanji, sending her toppling over in the opposite direction. She cried out in surprise. 

"Hey!" Hanji cried angrily. "I didn't ask you to give me your cloak! Don't yank it out as if I took it from you!"

"Yeah, well I didn't ask to be your babysitter," Levi retorted. As he stood up to shake the grass and whatever else off of his cloak, he was suddenly tackled to the ground. 

"Well I didn't either!" Hanji argued, pinning an unphased Levi beneath her. He quickly noticed her face was inches above his with a playful smile on her lips, Levi gulped nervously. "Let's see how you like it, you clean freak!" Hanji teased as she gripped at his cravat and pulled it off his neck with a quick jerk of her hand. Hanji jumped up and Levi pursued her. They engaged in a mostly harmless battle of pushing and grabbing at one another. 

Levi snarled and tried grabbing his cravat back from Hanji while she held it out of reach. "Give it back you Shitty Glasses, you'll get it dirty with your filth!" Hanji shoved him away with as much strength she could muster and ran off in the other direction laughing. She tied the cravat around her neck with a knot and turned to show Levi. "Ooh, look at me!" she mocked him, making her face as impassive as his. "I'm fancy and humanity's strongest soldier, so I get to treat my best friend like shit!"

Levi paused, considering her words before arguing back, "That's ridiculous, I don't treat you like shit!"    

"Yes you do!" Hanji argued back playfully. "You can be a real asshole sometimes!" She absentmindedly began fiddling with his cravat, fascinated how he could wear such a thing.

Levi's face betrayed him as it contorted in guilt. "Whatever. If I’m such an asshole then why..." Levi hesitated, looking at Hanji's smiling face. "Why do you deal with it? Why are you always so kind to me?" Levi asked, genuinely confused. He often wondered why Hanji had chosen him of all people to befriend. They were both completely different people. 

"Because you deserve it," Hanji replied.

"Huh?" Levi replied. "You just told me I’m an asshole and treat you like shit. How the hell do I 'deserve it' you weird ass woman?"

Hanji relaxed her shoulders and shrugged. "You've been through a lot. I think...more than most of us, you've had a tough life. I just think you deserve a bit of kindness for a change."

Levi regarded her in a speechless stupor. Then, he turned his face away in embarrassment. "What? Is it pity then? Is that why you wanted to be my friend?"

"No," she replied. "I know you can be rude sometimes....but I can see that you just put out a really tough wall. Once you start to get past it, I can see you're a good person who comes off harder than you intend to...who probably didn't receive a lot of kindness growing up. So, I think you deserve to be treated with it most of all." She gave Levi a warm smile.

Levi continued to stare at Hanji.  _ How can she see all that? _ he asked.  _ How is this woman so perceptive? _ His heart suddenly felt like it was defrosting and becoming unbearably warm.  _ I never thought I deserved anything, especially someone's kindness... _ He closed the distance between them and reached, grabbing his cravat from around Hanji's neck. He yanked it back but forgot that Hanji had tied an actual knot on it. So instead of coming off with ease, Hanji came staggering towards Levi, their foreheads colliding. They both cried out in surprise, rubbing the spots of impact. "Damn it, Four Eyes!" Levi admonished, gently pulling his cravat again towards him within reach. 

He began to untie the knot while Hanji held still, nervous that her and Levi's faces were within inches of each other.  _ Too close,  _ she thought nervously. Levi's eyes flicked upwards to meet Hanji's eyes. Momentarily captivated by the beautiful brown color, Levi smirked, his hands still gripping his now untied cravat. Taking advantage of their position, he leaned up and gave a chaste kiss to Hanji's forehead. She turned completely red and pulled away from Levi, who let one end of the cravat go, allowing her to tear away. "Wh-what was that, Levi?" she cried out. 

"You did the same to me before. Now we're even, you Shitty Glasses," Levi replied, turning to walk away, hiding the fact that his cheeks were flushing red too. 


	9. Notice Me 2

The Survey Corps waited for the gate to open, which would allow them to begin their next expedition beyond the walls. Levi sat patiently on his horse, calming his mind and preparing himself for whatever obstacle would cross his path. However, he began to hear Hanji griping about how boring the wait was. With concentration broken, Levi heard Hanji call out to him, as if she wanted to ask him something. Levi recalled Erwin's warning and immediately told her 'no'.

Hanji rebuked that she hadn't even asked him anything yet but Levi already knew what she was going to say. He denied her request firmly. He heard the crestfallen Hanji ask Mike the same thing but of course, Mike wasn't going to give in to her either. _It's too dangerous, you idiot,_ thought Levi to himself. _Whatever it is you want to research, it's not worth lives_.

The gate opened and the Survey Corps proceeded out into the open. Hanji eagerly shot out ahead of everyone else and Levi watched in annoyance as she broke formation. He looked towards Erwin for orders but he didn't say anything. However, Levi continued to keep an eye on her in case they ran into trouble.

* * *

 

After encountering a few snags along the way, they eventually made it to their destination. There were many buildings to use as vantage points, while some of the other soldiers set up camp and began preparing the logistics base. Levi remained on his horse, ever alert to defend himself and his men from any Titans. While scanning the trees and open fields for any approaching Titans, Levi briefly heard Hanji wailing to Erwin again. _Geez that noisy woman won't let up, will she?_ he thought.

Mike had just alerted the group of a Titan in the nearby trees and Levi turned towards its direction. He prepared himself in case Erwin gave any orders to attack or if the Titan was going to breach their post first. While watching, Levi heard a commotion from around the corner. Moblit was chasing after Hanji warning her about something being too dangerous. Levi observed as Hanji mounted her horse and took off alone towards the forest. Concerned, Levi continued to watch her until Erwin called out to him.

Levi didn't need to be told twice. "Tch. Moron," he said before launching his horse after her. His squad quickly followed afterwards. By the time he had caught up to Hanji, he noticed that she was already being pursued by the Titan. He immediately recognized it as an Abnormal Titan and grew more worried, especially since they were at a disadvantage away from the trees. He took out his flare gun and tried to draw its attention away from Hanji. _Dammit woman,_ he thought.

The rest of the events that followed were a blur to Levi. He just remembered being very concerned for Hanji's safety, along with his squad members. His only motive was to take out that Titan, once the Abnormal had decided to pursue Hanji and not him and his squad.

Hearing Auruo's screams of terror, he recalled snapping back into consciousness. Levi sent himself towards the Titan that now had Auruo gripped in his hand, pulling it towards its opened jaw. With a clean slice, Levi managed to sever the arm that held Auruo. Immediately after, he went for the kill before this Titan decided to cause more trouble for them. After the nape was sliced, Levi landed on the ground to find that his blade handle was stained with the Titan's blood. While wiping it off, he turned to Auruo, asking if he was ok before regarding Hanji.

She was knelt down on the grass babbling words of nonsense. Levi was too angry to care. He knew she was fine, but Levi was beyond pissed off at the fact that she had done something so reckless and disregarded her own safety. He stalked over to Hanji, grabbing her roughly by her cloak and pulled her close.

"Don't you dare endanger the lives of my men!" Levi concluded, his eyes boring into hers, wavering with emotion.

Even while yelling in her face, Levi was partially surprised that his presence had no effect on her. Any other soldier would have pissed their pants having been grabbed and scolded by him. But not Hanji. Instead, she just made some smartass comment to him about Titans not being able to defecate. Shocked by her ability to talk back so easily to him, Levi was conflicted on whether or not he should kick her ass or laugh at her wit. With all his squad's eyes on him, he knew that he couldn't let on that he was soft on her. Instead, he just dropped her to the ground and glared at her, trying to think up something to say but found that he was at a loss for words.

Hanji, now realizing the severity of her error, refused to meet Levi's eyes. She had begun to calm down when Petra's voice interrupted them, alerting them to the body and eventually, Ilse's journal. After Levi had briefly perused some of the entries in the journal, he heard Hanji's voice coming from the hollow of the tree. "Levi, what is that?"

"This is," Levi answered. "The fruits of Ilse Langnar's findings." He closed the book and turned towards his squad.

"Let's return back," he ordered. His squad went to go find their horses. Hanji grabbed Levi by the forearm gently. "Levi, can I see that?" she asked, pointing towards the journal. He pulled his arm away from her, still irritated by her stunt. "Get your ass back on your horse and return to the logistics base," Levi snarled.

Hanji frowned, knowing Levi was still sore at her, but followed orders.

* * *

 

Throughout the remainder of that mission, Hanji and Levi did not exchange any words. They went about their own tasks until it was time to retreat back to headquarters. The Survey Corps were overdue for a long break. Levi took it upon himself to bathe first thing upon arriving, since his room was already cleaned prior to leaving for their mission.

By the late afternoon, Levi was mulling over the mission's events in his room. Atop his desk rested the journal that he had found. He had debated on giving it to Erwin. However, deep down, he held on to it knowing that Hanji would want to take a look at it. But with him being angry with her, the least he wanted to do was reward her reckless behavior. Levi sighed, knowing that he couldn't put off some important discovery for mankind just because he was feeling resentful towards someone. He took the journal and headed towards Hanji's room.

After knocking and entering, he found Hanji standing near her bookshelf. She turned to regard him and then turned back towards the shelf.

"Oi, Shitty Glasses," Levi called, miffed at being ignored. "If you're looking for something to read, read this."

Hanji turned just in time to catch the journal that Levi tossed at her. She looked up in surprise. "I thought you would have given this to Erwin by now."

"Erwin can wait," Levi replied. "I think we can benefit more if you take a look at at first."

He and Hanji held each other’s gaze. Levi could tell that Hanji still harbored hurt feelings towards him. Hanji, likewise, could see that Levi wanted to make peace. What she couldn't read from Levi's expression was his longing for her company. Even before the incident, he had been feeling lonely from her lack of attention. She was very focused on her research and animate on capturing a live Titan that she hadn't realized that a certain captain had missed spending time with her.

"Well," Levi urged. "Aren't you going to read it?"

"Have you?" Hanji asked curiously.

"No," Levi admitted. "I just scanned it initially to see what it was about. I wanted you to be the first-"

"Do you want to read it with me?" she asked, hopeful. Levi stared at her impassively. He shrugged and made his way to her bed to sit down. "Sure, Four Eyes." When he sat down, he noticed the jacket that had belonged to llse was folded on top of her bed.

"Gross!" Levi cried, recoiling away from it. "Did you at least wash this first?!"

"Of course I did," Hanji murmured, sitting down at her desk.

Relaxing his posture, Levi regarded the jacket and then at Hanji, knowing what she had planned to do. He regarded her with mild admiration while she was distracted with looking at the journal before her.  

Hanji began to read the journal aloud. She struggled to read some of the words, due to the wear and condition of the remaining journal. Levi listened patiently while Hanji continued to read aloud. He found himself at the edge of his seat, shocked by the things that this Langnar soldier wrote towards the end. _A Titan that spoke?!_ Levi considered. It didn't take long for Hanji to finish reading the journal. She closed the book and sat back, thinking.

Levi watched her quietly but chose not to speak. He figured she was just as stumped as he was, having both found out the contents of the journal together. Hanji seemed to be in thought before she placed the journal on top of some of her books. She took out a piece of paper and began writing.

"Hanji?" Levi asked, standing up. She didn't answer him so he slowly approached her from behind. He saw that she was writing furiously. Curiously, Levi looked over her shoulder and read enough to know that she was writing a proposal to Erwin. Levi smiled and decided that he would leave Hanji to her thoughts. He took another glance towards the jacket on Hanji's bed and paused to think. Then, he gently placed one of his hands on her head, letting it linger long enough in hopes she understood what he was trying to convey without words. Hanji didn't seem to react to his touch. With a disappointed sigh, Levi walked out of Hanji's room to let her finish her letter to Erwin.

* * *

 

The next day, Levi had met with Erwin in his office. They were discussing the journal and what it meant to them and their knowledge of the Titans.

"Well, I have to agree with Hanji that we really don't know as much, after all." Erwin admitted. "That's why I have no choice but to grant Hanji's proposal to attempt to capture live Titans again."

"That'll make the Shitty Glasses happy," Levi stated, amused.

"Will you give her the good news?" Erwin asked. "I haven't had the opportunity to do that yet."

"Sure," Levi agreed, standing up.

"She's most likely going to be in town today," Erwin advised.

"What makes you say that?" Levi asked, pausing to turn around.

"Hanji asked me for the day off to do just that. Plus she asked for the journal back. She mentioned wanting to make a copy of it back in her room," Erwin answered.

"And you didn't take the opportunity to tell her the news while you had her here?" Levi asked suspiciously.

"I figured I'd grant you the pleasure of making her happy," Erwin replied suggestively. Levi bristled and turned around, heading for the door while Erwin called out a 'Thank You'.

Levi headed down the halls, on his way to exit the barracks and to the stables. He passed by the common area where he saw some of his squad sitting around talking.

"Auruo, you were the one who insisted that Hanji san was crazy," Eld argued.

"I still think she is," Auruo replied, his hand gripping the back of his neck apologetically. "But I think she was on to something, wanting to capture a live Titan.

"But because you hesitated to take down that Titan, you were almost killed," Gunther rebutted.

"Thank goodness Levi Heichou was there to save you," Petra interjected.

"I know, I know," Auruo admitted thankfully. "I just feel that I should have waited to see what that Titan was up to. It looked like Hanji was waiting for something to happen before I stepped in."

"Yeah, waiting to get eaten," Eld scoffed.

Levi finally decided to enter the room. His squad immediately stood at attention and saluted. Levi gave them an 'at ease', and turned to look at Auruo. "I need to go get some supplies in town," he said. Levi also turned to look at Petra. "I can use yours and Auruo's help to carry some of the items."

"Yes, of course, Heichou," Petra agreed with a smile. Auruo did just the same. With that, Levi led them to the stables to get their horses.

* * *

 

Levi led the other two into town to search around the nearby shops. He initially didn't disclose to them the supplies that he needed to get. He needed to kill as much time as he could, looking around the center until he spotted Hanji. However, after some time, he informed both Auruo and Petra that they needed to get some cleaning supplies for Headquarters. As they stepped into the last store, Levi spotted the Wings of Freedom patch on the jacket of an approaching soldier.

Before stepping into the store, he confirmed it was Hanji and made sure that Auruo and Petra were near the entrance so that they could see Hanji pass by. Sure enough, both took notice of her and watched her pass. Levi took the opportunity to act nonchalant as he examined a nearby broom. "Is something the matter?" he asked.

"Um...it's nothing Heichou," Auruo replied hesitantly. "It's just that...I just saw Hanji san walk by and...I wanted to apologize to her about the other day..."

Levi gave him an emotionless stare as always. However, he hid his satisfaction. "Then let's go tell her," Levi suggested, leaving the store and turning to see that Hanji was already a few meters ahead of them down the street. They followed quietly behind her before stopping once she entered someone's home.

"Do you think," Petra asked. "That's the home of the soldier that we found in the forest?"

"Aah," admitted Levi. "She's probably returning the jacket and the journal. Won't be long." he looked at Auruo. "Then you'll have your chance to talk to Hanji."

"For Hanji san to take the items personally to Ilse Langnar's poor parents," thought Auruo aloud. "That must take a lot of courage...and kindness from her end."

"Aah," agreed Levi once more, only quieter. "She's something else..." Levi looked down and seemed to have an amused expression on his face. However, he chose to remain silent the remainder of the time while they waited.

Petra watched Levi quietly, wondering what he meant by that last comment. She had seen the way Levi reacted towards Hanji in the forest and couldn't help but feel there was more meaning to the words he scolded her with. Petra remained silent, and continued to watch the door until it finally opened and Hanji stepped outside.

Levi watched with a look of satisfaction as Auruo apologized to Hanji. However, he felt even better when Hanji herself insisted that she apologize to Auruo. She admitted that she had endangered his life and stated that she was sorry for that. Knowing that Hanji had learned her lesson, he decided it was time to give her the good news. As he walked away, leading them back to their horses, he gave her Erwin's approval. "Oh yeah," he announced. "Erwin has given the go ahead."

With his back turned, he was able to hide his smile, recognizing Hanji's excitement with her cheer of "Yahoo!"

When they arrived back to the barracks, they returned their horses to the stables. Levi dismissed Auruo and Petra early so that he could be alone with Hanji. As he held the reigns in his hand, he called out to Hanji, who was making sure her horse made it into its stall comfortably.

"So Shitty Glasses," he said. "Along with approving your proposal, Erwin asked that my squad assist in the capture of your first test subject."

Hanji didn't seem to hear him and began walking briskly back towards the barracks. "Oi!" Levi cried to no avail. Hanji had left his sight and Levi was stuck with putting not only his own horse away, but Auruo's and Petra's too. Levi sighed and hung his head.

* * *

 

"Shitty glasses!" Levi shouted from outside Hanji's door. "Unlock the door, idiot. I need to talk to you!"

The door lock clicked and Hanji opened the door. Without even waiting for an invitation, Levi pushed past her and into her room. "What's the matter Levi?" Hanji asked.

"Are you avoiding me?" Levi asked, cutting to the chase. He paused in the middle of her room to turn around and face her, arms folded.

"Avoiding you?" Hanji repeated. "No. Why wou-"

"Because I haven't...seen you around lately," Levi reasoned. "The last time I saw you was earlier, when I gave you the news about Erwin approving your Titan capturing."

"I know," Hanji replied. "I've been looking into a foolproof way on capturing one. I didn't want to be disturbed." Hanji had been focusing her time on this new task ever since she was given the green light from Erwin. She was unable to contain the excitement she received after discovering Langnar's journal.

"Well, seeing as my team is going to be assisting you with that capture," Levi protested, looking as if he had just been rejected. "I should be in the know."

"Are you sure your team wants to work with me?" Hanji asked, cringing at the memory of their last expedition. "You manhandled me in front of them." Her mind switched to Levi's aggressive stance, one hand in her Survey Corps cloak, yanking her within inches of his own face. All the while, Levi's squad had watched on in silence. _It's not like I asked them to follow me and interfere,_ Hanji thought defensively.

"My team will do as I ask without question," Levi assured. "And you asked for it. You manhandled one of my men first!"

 _Oops,_ Hanji realized guiltily as she recalled choking, terrified Auruo, being held in the air. Although Auruo didn't tell Levi personally, Petra had been the one to fill him in.

"Not to mention you did the same thing to the poor man after he apologized to you," Levi muttered, recalling her holding him in the air while she gave her apology to him.

Hanji smiled and gave Levi a knowing look. "What?" he asked, wondering why she was looking at him that way.

"Nothing," Hanji replied, giving Levi another smile. "It's just that..." she recalled the intense look he had given her when he was yelling at her for going after the Abnormal Titan alone. She knew he was scolding her for endangering his team, but his eyes conveyed something deeper. Levi had never expressed such emotion before. "You really care for me...don't you Levi?"

Levi stiffened his body, ready to give an excuse to throw her off the direction where she was going. Instead, he relaxed and admitted, "Are you that dense that you haven't noticed?" Levi approached Hanji and lifted a tentative hand. He reached for Hanji's face, nervously placing his flat palm on the side of her cheek, pushing her head slightly away.

"Haha!" Hanji laughed, leaning into his hand affectionately. "And I know what you're doing there too!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Levi asked impatiently, pulling his hand away.

"What you just did, the hair pull, nearly yanking me out of my chair, when you grabbed my foot..." Hanji explained. "I know you're trying-and failing I may add-to express some sort of affection towards me."

"Don't be stupid!" Levi spat, getting embarrassed. "That's not what-"

"Here," Hanji said, reaching towards Levi's face, causing him to freeze mid-sentence. He felt her soft hand gently cup his face, her thumb tracing over his cheek bone. Levi immediately relaxed at how warm her touch was. "It has to come without thought," Hanji said. "It's just a simple touch you give someone to show that you care, or that you understand." She giggled at the color rising in Levi's cheeks and he pulled away in exasperation.

"I got it Four Eyes," Levi muttered. He avoided eye contact with her as long as he could before he could fight it no longer. He stole a glance at her to see that she was still watching him with a satisfied smile. He couldn't help but smile at her too. After all, Hanji stirred warm feelings inside that he was still coming to terms with.

Suddenly, the door crashed open and Nanaba came bursting inside. "Hanji!" Nanaba gushed. "I heard the great news! Your squad wants to celebrate down in the mess hall!"

"Celebrate?" asked Hanji.

"Yes," Nanaba replied. "Moblit is breaking out his champagne stash and said he was saving it for a special occasion, which is this! Come on!"

Hanji looked at Levi. "Care to join us, Levi?" she asked. "You contributed to this victory as well."

"No thanks," Levi declined while he exited her room. "You guys knock yourselves out."

Nanaba grabbed Hanji's wrist and led her out of her room and down into the mess hall with her. Levi watched as Hanji was dragged behind Nanaba. He sighed and made his way to Erwin's office.

"Come in," Erwin called out as Levi knocked quietly at the door. He entered into his office and found a seat across from Erwin's desk.

"Were you able to give the good news to Hanji?" Erwin asked.

"Yeah," Levi replied. "Apparently she and her squad are celebrating downstairs. Champagne seems to be involved."

Erwin chuckled. "I'm assuming that's Moblit's doing." Levi gave a grunt. Erwin observed that Levi appeared distant. "What can I help you with Levi?" he asked.

"What makes you think I came here for your help?" Levi asked defensively. Erwin gave him a skeptic look. Levi sighed. "It's just all this new knowledge...there's so much we really don't know about these Titans."

"Don't get discouraged," Erwin comforted. "That's the whole goal of the Survey Corps, is it not? We aren't here to stay behind the walls and do nothing! We're the only ones crazy enough to go out there and find ourselves some answers!"

"Do you think we're even scratching the surface?" Levi asked, doubtfully.

"I wouldn't know," Erwin answered solemnly. "But we need to keep trying. With soldiers like Hanji, we have hope on discovering more about these Titans. I know it's a risk, but after our last expedition, it may produce results if we do put more effort in live captures of these Titans."

"I've never taken part in a live capture before," Levi said.

"Leave that up to Hanji. She'll devise a plan." Erwin explained. "You and your team will follow her directions and do your best to achieve results. That's why I have you and the Special Operations squad for...missions like these."

"Very well," Levi agreed, standing up. "I'll trust that woman and her ideas. Just like I trust you and your command." As he walked towards Erwin's office door, he called out, "I'm going to go check on her squad to make sure the mess hall is still standing."

Erwin watched Levi leave with that same amused expression he always gave him whenever he and Hanji interacted together. He teased Levi for being sweet on her but didn't want to test him. If he did, he feared that Levi would purposely push himself away from Hanji.

* * *

 

Levi stepped down into the mess hall. Mostly because he wanted to grab a late night snack. However, part of him wanted to check on the drunken squad in the mess hall. As he rounded the corner, he spotted the giggling and obviously drunk soldiers.

"Levi Heichou!" Nifa cried, spotting Levi and getting excited. "Have you come to join us after all?"

Before he could answer, Levi noticed that Moblit was struggling with a limp Hanji. Concerned, he walked over to assist. "What happened to Shitty Glasses?" he asked Moblit as he was attempting to get Hanji out of her chair and into his arms.

"Heichou," Moblit greeted, still attempting to lift Hanji's dead weight. "Hanji san got a bit carried away with the champagne. I was just about to transport her back to her quarters."

"Yeah, I think Hanji was excited most of all for this victory," Nanaba chimed.

"Well I should say so," Abel quipped. "It was due to Hanji's perseverance that she lived to see this day!"

"Poor thing overdid her celebrating," Nifa added, scratching her head to think. "At one point, she seemed to be speaking nonsense. What was she going on about how much she loves her best friend and how they're her favorite person?...Nanaba, was she referring to you?"

"Me?" Nanaba questioned. "I don't know. We used to be roommates but we've never called each other that before...Plus I was here the whole time. Why would she talk about her best friend as if they weren't present?"

"Moblit," Levi called to the struggling soldier, eyes still on Hanji, determined not to look at Nanaba or Nifa. "Yes?" Moblit asked, pausing with Hanji's arms hooked over his as he continued to try and lift her up.

"I'll take Four Eyes," Levi stated, stepping over and nonverbally ordering him to back off.

"Yes Heichou," Moblit complied immediately, putting Hanji back down on her chair. She slumped over on top of the table and continued to snore elegantly.

Levi tsked and lifted Hanji up with ease. He hoisted her over his shoulder, her body dangling like some type of fashion accessory. "You all get along," Levi dismissed as he left the mess hall and headed towards the officer's quarters. Hanji slept through the bumpy ride as Levi continued to walk along the corridors. "So you love me now, Four Eyes?" Levi asked teasingly in a barely audible voice. He could barely contain his grin as he thought about Hanji drunkenly going on about him to her squad. Even if they didn't know that she was talking about him.

He kicked open her door and closed it behind him. The thought of Moblit in possession of Hanji in her intoxicated state made him see red and he quickly cleared his thoughts from such things.

As he approached Hanji's bed, he knelt down and lowered her gently onto it. She lied on her back, undisturbed by the means of her transport. Levi rested his eyes on Hanji, sleeping peacefully. He noticed her ODM straps were still on and knew how uncomfortable they were to have on during the day, let alone sleep. He first took off her boots and dropped them unceremoniously on the floor. He began to loosen the straps around her feet and legs and worked his way up. The closer he got to Hanji's hips and finally, her chest strap, he noticed his hands began to shake. _Dammit,_ Levi growled. _To think that Moblit could have been the one with his filthy hands on her!_ Levi took a deep breath to steady his hands. _It's not like I'm doing anything wrong with her, why is this bothering me so?_

Levi gulped and chastised himself for being scared of such a simple task that he did with himself on a daily basis. Being able to apply and remove the belts is something all soldiers learn to do, even in the dark. Once all the belts were removed, he threw them down next to the boots. He sighed in relief that the tedious task was over and sat down on the edge of her bed. He took another look at Hanji, his eyes drinking in her serene face. He had forgotten about her glasses. Levi reached over and removed them gently, making sure the back straps didn't get caught in her hair as he lifted them off her head. He reached and placed her glasses atop the night stand next to her desk.

Afterwards, Levi glanced back down at Hanji, his eyes settling on her lips. Beginning to feel sweat form on his forehead, Levi's thoughts began to go down a forbidden route that he liked to keep closed off. An unfamiliar fluttering sensation filled his stomach and he found his face began to lower towards Hanji's before he halted himself. _Shit,_ he thought. _I'm such a coward to want to do this only when she's unconscious._ Slightly retreating, Levi searched until he found one of Hanji's hands. After a moment of hesitation, he interlaced his fingers with hers. All the while, his heart was hammering in his chest as if he was doing this to a slumbering Titan that could awake any moment and devour him.

Levi then smiled warmly at his friend's slumbering face. He continued to lower his head and pressed his forehead against Hanji's affectionately. With his eyes closed in content, he thought _Shit, I think I love this woman_ ... _I wonder if she loves me the same, or if she was just ranting on about how she loves me as a friend...she makes no indication otherwise._ He remained in that position for a moment before finally pulling away. He continued to admire her before whispering softly, "You better have eyes for only me, Shitty Glasses. I'll kill you if you every reject me." He gave a soft chuckle before standing up. "Good night, Hanji." 

Epilogue

Levi and Hanji sat atop their horses, ever ready for the next expedition beyond the walls. This time, instead of whining about how mundane the wait was, Hanji was rambling words of excitement. Levi listened as she gushed about how excited she would be if she were to run into an Abnormal Titan. Levi gave a slight sigh and turned to look at Hanji.

"I think there's already an abnormal nearby," Levi teased, implying that she was the abnormal in question. To Levi's annoyance, she didn't get the hint.

"Huh?" Hanji asked, looking around curiously. "Where?"

Levi brought his horse closer and stood on his foot holsters. _This woman is so dense, I swear..._ he thought. He lifted his hand and brought it down on her head, gripping her hair and turning her head so that she faced him. _That's right,_ Levi thought affectionately. _Look only at me_. "Right here," he said softly. Hanji merely stared at him, confused before she realized what he was implying. She smiled and laughed while Levi returned back to the seated position on his horse.

He cringed at the thought of everyone being able to see what he just did. But he remembered Hanji's words about not putting too much thought in being affectionate with her. However, in doing so, he completely forgot that he had an audience. _Whatever,_ Levi thought. _Anyone gives me any shit and I'll kick their dumb asses_.

"Neh," Hanji called quietly to him.

He looked over at her. "What?" Levi asked impatiently, knowing they were due to take off at any moment.

"You're getting better," Hanji teased. "If I didn't know any better, I'd swear that was an attempt at flirting."

Levi's face grew hot before muttering, "Shut up. Focus on the mission!"


End file.
